I Don't Want to Lose You
by Adv4eternity
Summary: The close bond that Mei and Yuzu once shared is now severed. If nothing is done about the predicament they are in, their lives will be changed for the worse. Permanently. Follows chapter 36 in the manga.
1. Chapter 1

**This story is my humble take on what will happen after chapter 36.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Citrus or its characters.**

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

"Goodbye." That was the last thing written on the letter. And with that one word, Yuzu's world fell apart. Yuzu, who was reading on the bed, felt her tears dripping down her face and onto the paper. She angrily crumpled up the covers of the mattress and wept uncontrollably.

"Mei..." Yuzu couldn't help but whimper. She glanced at the head the bed, where Mei's pillow was missing, then around the room to see that all of Mei's belongings were gone. Indeed, Mei had left her, and Yuzu assumed she probably staying at either their grandfather's mansion or at her fiancé's house.

"No!" Yuzu helplessly pounded on the bed in frustration. "Mei, how could you? How could you leave me like this?"

In sadness, Yuzu simply remained on the bed, hugging her knees to her chest, longing for Mei's return. She desperately wished that this was all just a nightmare, but even as she pinched herself hard on her arm, she knew this to be cruel, cruel reality.

Hours flew by and the light from outside the windows slowly retreated into darkness, leaving Yuzu in her dimly lit bedroom. Even though the new school year had just begun, Yuzu had absolutely no motivation to do her homework. At this point, academics was the least of her worries. Just yesterday, Yuzu had pledged to Mei that she would genuinely try to study harder in order to maintain good grades and be in the same university as Mei, but after reading such hurtful words in the letter, Yuzu didn't know if she could bring herself to fulfill her promise.

Deciding to distract herself from Mei, Yuzu went to take a bath. She rushed towards the bathroom, hurriedly stripped her clothes off, and lazily threw them aside. She then turned on the water, letting it fill to the brim before cutting off the flow of water. However, after stepping inside the bathtub, Yuzu had flashbacks to when she first found out about how Mei was going to be her stepsister. She could vividly remember how she had accidentally dragged her stepsister into the cold water outside, and she could remember the both of them being sent to the bathroom together after being told by their mother to warm up. Yuzu recalled how Mei stripped naked, and the blonde remembered her stepsister's silky hair, her soft, naked skin, and when Mei caught her off guard by pinning her against the wall.

Yuzu shook her head to escape the memory. She hunched over in the tub, wrapping her arms around herself as her tears began to well up again. Yuzu knew that wherever she was, whatever she was doing, she would be reminded of Mei. It was hopeless. In frustration, Yuzu quickly left the bathtub, not bothering to drain the water, dressed herself in her nightwear, and climbed into bed. Perhaps, she would be free of her struggles while sleeping. But she couldn't sleep. Not while her stepsister lingered in her mind.

* * *

"Yuzu?" Her mother, Ume, asked while knocking on the bedroom door. "You're going to miss school if you don't leave soon."

Ume figured that Yuzu was upset about Mei's decision to leave, as well as for being kept in the dark until now about Mei's plan. Ume found herself sympathizing with Yuzu and was about to give up on waking her up when the blonde creaked the door open.

"Yuzu?" Ume gasped as she noticed her daughter's puffy eyes and messy hair. "Did you sleep at all?"

Yuzu remained silent for some time before sighing. "No, I couldn't no matter what," she said with little energy.

Ume stared at Yuzu's dejected look. What used to be a cheerful girl primed with energy was now diminished to an exhausted and heartbroken person.

"Yuzu, do you need to take a day off? Will you be unable to go to school today?" Ume asked.

Yuzu pushed past her mother and gathered her school bag and lunch. She then headed towards the front door, having already changed into her school outfit.

"I'll manage," was all the blonde said before leaving the house and closing the door behind her, while her mother wore a look of concern.

On the way to school, Yuzu stared at the ground while treading slowly past the trees and the park. Because her mind was occupied, Yuzu failed to notice the other people on the sidewalk and accidentally bumped into them, earning complaints and shouts of annoyance. But Yuzu couldn't be bothered. She mumbled apologies and walked on.

Yuzu recalled the words in the letter from yesterday. She remembered how her stepsister wrote that she'd try not to associate with Yuzu in school, and this recollection brought Yuzu to clench her fists tightly.

"You say you will try not to associate with me, but I will not back down when I see you in school," Yuzu said with resolve. With newfound motivation, Yuzu rushed to school.

Fortunately for her, Yuzu arrived at the Aihara Academy before the bell rang. While walking through the hallways, Yuzu gained a few funny looks from classmates because of her disheveled appearance, but Yuzu was so set on her mission that she didn't notice. Before Yuzu could begin her search for Mei, however, she realized that she didn't have enough time to comb the whole school, so she defeatedly made her way to her classroom. Being that it was a new school year, Mei and Yuzu were assigned into different classrooms, much to Yuzu's disappointment, but fortunately for her, she was assigned into the same classroom as Harumi. Yuzu rushed into class and sat next to Harumi, who looked quizzically at her.

"Yuzucchi, are you feeling alright?" Harumi asked while looking at Yuzu's messy hair and makeup.

"I could be better," Yuzu replied truthfully.

"You're gonna explain everything to me after class."

"Alright."

* * *

Class was tough not because of the lessons covered in class, but rather because Yuzu was stuck at her desk and unable to talk to Mei. Yuzu kept imagining different scenarios for when she'd talk to Mei, and the more she thought about it, the more it bugged her that she couldn't just get up and leave. It also didn't help that Yuzu's mind kept going back to the letter. During the duration of the class, Yuzu constantly kept reciting the words that were ingrained into her brain, and whenever she thought about Mei's message, her heart kept feeling sharp stings of betrayal.

Harumi waved her hand in front of Yuzu in order to get her to realize that class had ended. Yuzu sighed and gathered her bag as she and Harumi left the classroom. In the hallway, Harumi had to guide Yuzu through the traffic as Yuzu had trouble concentrating on where she was walking. Later, Harumi led Yuzu to a quieter area, where she would interrogate her best friend.

"Alright, Yuzucchi, what's going with you today?" Harumi asked with her hands on her hips.

Yuzu sighed as she stared down at the ground, suddenly not feeling comfortable about sharing her internal struggles. However, Harumi had an idea of what might be troubling her.

"It's Mei, isn't it?" Harumi asked while placing a hand on Yuzu's shoulder, earning a nod.

"She left you to get married to another dude, right?" a higher-pitched voice emerged from the side. Yuzu and Harumi turned to see a young pink-headed girl who was walking in their direction.

"Matsuri?" Yuzu asked, surprised to see her here.

"That's right, Yuzu-Chan! Didn't you remember that I transferred to Aihara Academy?" Matsuri stopped in front of the two girls while Harumi appeared very confused.

"Wait, Mei left you?" Harumi asked Yuzu in bewilderment.

Yuzu nodded while trying to fight her tears. The way Matsuri casually said how Mei left her made Yuzu want to throw up.

"Wait, I thought it would be a good thing that your stepsister is getting married, unless..." Harumi suddenly realized just how important Mei was to Yuzu, "...oh, this is much deeper than I had thought."

At this point, Yuzu broke down into tears again and knelt down with her palms rubbing her eyes. Harumi and Matsuri knelt down as well and tried their best to comfort Yuzu by patting and rubbing her back.

"There, there, Yuzu-Chan, we're here for you," Matsuri said gently. "If we ever come across Mei-San and her fiancé, Taniguchi-Senpai and I will help you beat the lights out of them, okay?"

"Matsuri!" Harumi scolded the younger girl, then turned to Yuzu. "It's okay, Yuzucchi, if you need anything, let us know."

While comforting Yuzu, Matsuri glanced up and noticed that in the distance, Mei was patrolling the school with some student council members on the upper levels.

"Look, it's Mei-San!" Matsuri exclaimed, pointing in her general direction. Harumi and Yuzu followed where Matsuri was pointing and saw the President, who looked expressionless as always.

"Sorry, I gotta go now!" Yuzu shot up from the ground and started running through the halls.

"Hey, wait up!" Harumi yelled as she and Matsuri followed the blonde to make sure that nothing went wrong when they'd confront Mei.

As the trio ran through the school, they'd get complaints from classmates to stop running and bumping into people. Yuzu squeezed through groups of students and ran up to the top of a staircase, pausing to scan the area for where Mei was now. In the corner of her vision, Yuzu saw how Mei was headed towards her office, so Yuzu ran as fast as she could. As Yuzu closely approached her stepsister, she called out her name.

"Mei!" Yuzu shouted. While the other student council members turned their heads toward Yuzu, Mei kept her back facing her. Instead, Mei seemed to walk faster, wanting to avoid Yuzu. Yuzu sprinted towards her sister, only to be blocked by Himeko and one other student council member.

"I'm sorry, but Meimei told us to stop you at all costs from seeing her," Himeko told Yuzu.

"Momokino-San, please, I have to speak with her!" Yuzu tried to convince the shorter girl. "Please, you have to understand!"

"Aihara Yuzu, I really can't let you go after her. I'm sorry," Himeko said with a look of sympathy.

Yuzu began to feel frustrated, growling as she tugged on her hair.

"Damnit, this is an emergency!" Yuzu shouted.

"Hey, eyebrows!" Matsuri called out as she and Harumi approached Yuzu and Himeko.

"Excuse me?! You have the audacity to call me by that name here?!" Himeko faced the pink-haired girl in annoyance.

"What, don't you like your nickname?" Matsuri asked with a smirk. "I thought it was fitting."

"Why, you little brat!"

As Himeko started lecturing Matsuri, and while everyone else in the hallway was now focused on the commotion, Harumi signaled to Yuzu to quickly go. Yuzu nodded, understanding that Harumi and Matsuri were distracting the student council members. Yuzu made a mental note to thank her friends as she rushed on after Mei, who by now was probably already at her office.

After sprinting through the hallways, Yuzu finally made it to the office door. Taking a deep breath, and deciding not to knock on the door first, Yuzu swung the door open, emitting a loud banging noise. Across the room at her table was Mei, who looked up at Yuzu. Yuzu observed how Mei had a brief look of affliction before wearing her usual serious face.

"It is against the rules for students to be in the student council office at this time, especially with such a rude entry," Mei stated calmly.

"Mei, please lis-"

"Please leave now, or there will be consequences," Mei interrupted.

Yuzu stared at Mei in shock, surprised at how her stepsister was treating her like they had never dated or knew each other before.

"Mei, what's gotten into you?" Yuzu asked quietly, taking a step forward.

"Refusing to listen to student council orders will result in-"

"Mei! How could you treat me like this! And I don't just mean now, I mean how you suddenly left me yesterday! You left me and only left behind a freaking letter!" Yuzu exclaimed in frustration.

"Yuzu..." Mei was taken aback by Yuzu's emotions.

"And what's worse is that you kept me in the dark about your plans! Do you know how much that hurt me? Do you?" Yuzu said, unconsciously raising her voice.

Mei's serious persona was beginning to falter, and she couldn't stand to listen anymore.

"Yuzu-" Mei tried to speak, but was interrupted.

"Just two days ago, I swore that I'd do my best not just academically, but to also be the best person I can be for you! But you simply tossed me aside! I cried all night for you! I couldn't sleep at all! I almost lacked the motivation to go to school because of you!" Yuzu began yelling.

Mei just then took in Yuzu's appearance, how her tie wasn't worn correctly, how her hair had been sticking out, and how her makeup was mostly smudged up.

"Yuzu..." Mei began before finding herself unable to speak.

"Mei, I need you! Please come back! Please!" Yuzu whimpered. "I want us to go back to the happy times. I want us to be together again. Please, Mei. I don't want to feel so helpless."

Mei was finding it increasingly more difficult to listen to Yuzu. She covered her face with both palms while leaning on the table with her elbows, feeling more and more stressed out. She couldn't listen anymore. She didn't want to hear anymore of Yuzu's heart wrenching words.

While Yuzu was waiting for Mei's response, other student council members came by after hearing such loud commotion and had to restrain Yuzu, cutting the conversation short.

"No! Please, Mei! Mei!" Yuzu cried out as she was forcefully pulled out of the office. Mei couldn't even bear to watch as Yuzu was forced out of the room. Another student council member noticed the pain in Mei's eyes and respectfully closed the door to leave her in peace. In silence, Mei wept.

* * *

Yuzu angrily slammed on the lunch table. After being kicked out of the student council office, she had been warned by other members that she would receive punishments for causing more trouble. Up until lunch time, Yuzu has been sulking in class, pondering about what she should do, but now, Yuzu was filled with even more determination to talk to Mei.

"They think that threatening me with detention and all that stuff will stop me? I don't think so!" Yuzu exclaimed as she pounded on the table again.

"Yuzucchi, don't you think you're taking this too seriously?" Harumi asked, receiving a death glare from her best friend.

"No, I'm not! I just need to talk to Mei without getting interfered by her buddies!" Yuzu replied.

"But like you just said, her student council suck-ups will get in the way, and I don't doubt that they will be monitoring you even more now!" Matsuri explained.

"And plus, the prez will also almost certainly have other members with her at all times," Harumi added.

"Gah! This is too hard!" Yuzu collapsed her head into her folded arms.

"Yuzu-Chan, is Mei-San even worth it anymore?" Matsuri asked, gaining a strange look from the blonde. "I mean, she's treated you horribly multiple times, and she's set to marry someone else."

Yuzu sighed. While Matsuri was right, the thought of giving up Mei did not settle in with her, not in the slightest.

"Matsuri, I really want to talk to her. I can't get my mind off of her, so that means I legitimately can't focus on anything else. And if I don't get some kind of closure, I'll be driven into insanity," Yuzu explained her point of view. "And what's even more confusing is that I know Mei has feelings for me, so I don't quite understand why she's treating me like this now."

The three sat in silence. Lunch time was almost over, but Yuzu had hardly eaten a thing. In order for Yuzu to get the nutrients she needed for the day, Harumi and Matsuri had to feed Yuzu.

"Say, we can all probably hang out after school to come up with ideas to get the prez back," Harumi suggested while feeding Yuzu a rice ball.

"We can go to the arcade!" Matsuri beamed. Harumi and Matsuri looked at Yuzu for her answer.

"Sorry, guys, I think I'll just go home after school," Yuzu declined. "My mom will probably be worried about me, so I want to show her that I'm fine."

Harumi and Matsuri nodded. A couple minutes later, after lunch ended, they returned to their classrooms for the remaining hours of the school day.

* * *

At home, Yuzu flopped onto the sofa face-down. She flailed her arms and legs in frustration, then settled down as she began to feel tired. After a few minutes of laying on the couch, she couldn't help but recall that moment during Christmas night, when Mei finally opened up to her. Yuzu remembered how Mei had pressed her hand against her stepsister's breast, feeling her rapid heart beat. Mei was so vulnerable and nervous at the time, it was something so uncharacteristic of her. And then, Yuzu saw memories of how during the school trip, she had finally shared her feelings with Mei. She could remember Mei's soft lips against hers, she could remember Mei's sweet scent, and she could remember how they both felt genuinely happy. That memory was supposed to mark a new chapter in their lives, a chapter where they'd be closer together than before.

 _These memories...they keep showing up in my mind. I can't...get them out...they hurt so, so much._

Yuzu lifted her head off the couch to realize her tears left the cushion wet. She decided to distract herself by doing her homework, but that idea was immediately thrown in the trash; Yuzu's hands were shaking rapidly while she struggled to focus on writing.

Spontaneously, memories of how Mei had begun tutoring sessions had flown into the blonde's mind. Yuzu remembered that embarrassing moment when she was daydreaming about how Mei was slowly advancing towards her with both their cleavage showing. That imagination felt so realistic and it made Yuzu want to touch and hold onto Mei.

 _Crap, wherever I go, whatever I'm doing, I'll only be reminded of Mei!_

Yuzu crumpled up her homework in exasperation and left her bedroom to the kitchen. She decided to put on headphones to listen to music while deciding to make her and her mom's dinner earlier. Maybe this way, she'll have some peace.

Listening to music proved to be effective in keeping her mind off Mei. While making dinner, she'd sing along with whatever song was in her playlist, and she found herself to be having a good time. That is, until she finished and glanced at the dining table, noticing the empty spot that used to belong to a giant teddy bear. Yuzu froze in place as she saw a translucent Mei appear in a green outfit, sitting at the chair, massaging a translucent bear's paws. Yuzu observed how Mei, while looking troubled, was absolutely adorable. The translucent Mei disappeared from the chair but quickly reappeared behind her, as Yuzu could see her hands hovering above her waist. But as Yuzu was about to accept the hug, Mei disappeared, and Yuzu dropped the two dishes in her hand, letting them crash onto the floor. She tore her headphones off and ran to her bedroom, loudly shutting the door behind herself. She threw her headphones and phone onto the bed, then weeped and sniffled as she buried her face into the covers of the bed, trying to get her memories out of her head.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks to those who have read and supported this story. I greatly appreciate it.**

 **Also, this chapter is somewhat short because the ending seemed like a good place to stop.**

 **Also, I post updates in my profile from time-to-time if you are curious about my progress with chapters.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Citrus.**

* * *

 **Chapter 2**

"Yuzu? Are you feeling alright?" Ume asked while knocking on her daughter's door. The older woman was concerned about her daughter more than ever when she came home last night to see the broken shards of dinner plates and food sprawled all over the kitchen floor.

Ume knocked on the door again after a few minutes of silence, growing impatient.

"Yuzu, I'm coming in now," Ume said, slowly turning the door handle. She opened the door to find Yuzu on the floor with the upper half of her body on the bed. Ume stepped closer to her daughter and brushed aside her messy hair to see that Yuzu was sleeping. She also noticed a damp spot on the bed near Yuzu's eyes, and Ume figured that Yuzu had cried herself to sleep.

"Yuzu..." Ume breathed out as she gently stroked her daughters cheek, wishing that she could help her. Yuzu slowly opened her eyes in response to her mother's touch and yawned loudly, before turning to see her mother standing over her.

"Huh? Mom? What are you doing here?" Yuzu asked while blinking rapidly to adjust to the light.

"Yuzu, I came in here to see if you are feeling alright," Ume said. "What happened last night? I came home to find a mess in the kitchen, and I'm really worried about you."

Yuzu sighed and looked away from her mother while scratching her arm.

"I'm fine, mom. Last night I was just feeling tired and sleepy, that's all," Yuzu lied. "I'm sorry if I made a mess."

"Yuzu..." Ume said, not believing that her daughter was feeling okay.

"Mom, I gotta go now. I don't want to be late for school," Yuzu quickly said, wanting to get away from any other questions her mother had.

"Okay, Yuzu," Ume conceded, walking towards the bedroom door. "Just...come talk to me if you aren't feeling great, okay? "

Yuzu nodded, leading her mother to leave the room, although she had no intention to actually discuss her problems. She quickly checked the time on her phone and cursed when she realized that not only was she was actually going to be late to school, but she didn't have enough time to charge her phone that was dangerously low on power. She hastily changed out of her sleep wear and put on her school uniform, and she decided to at least do her hair today. She looked in the mirror in her room and started combing to make herself somewhat presentable. After finishing her hair and not bothering to put on any make up, she went to the kitchen, packed her school bag, and left.

* * *

Yuzu groaned as she was finally done being lectured by Mineko for being late to school. The blonde trudged toward the cafeteria, where her friends were waiting.

"Yuzucchi! Where were you?" Harumi asked as Yuzu sat down at the lunch table. "I tried to text and call you, but you never answered."

"I was in hell being lectured about the importance of waking up on time and showing up at school," Yuzu mumbled as she lowered her head to the table facedown. "And sorry about not replying to your calls and texts. My phone died because I forgot to charge it last night."

"Well, hopefully you will never be late to class again, and hopefully you will remember to charge your phone every night. We were getting really worried about you," Harumi said.

"Yeah, sorry about that, I slept very late last night," Yuzu groaned into the table.

"Had trouble sleeping, Yuzu-Chan?" Matsuri asked.

Yuzu looked up from the table and rested her cheek on her palm.

"Yeah, to be honest. I can't get Mei out of my head, and it's starting to drive me crazy," Yuzu confessed.

"Speaking of the prez, have you seen her at all today?" Harumi interjected.

"No, I haven't, so I plan on going to her office later," Yuzu replied.

"Do you want us to come along with you for support?" Matsuri asked. "Mei-San will probably have all the other student council members with her, so it would be a pain to see her by yourself."

"Or better yet, if you can't talk to her in school, you can wait for her after school hours when she finally leaves!" Harumi chimed in.

"Hey, that's actually not a bad idea, Harumi!" Yuzu's eyes flashed with joy. "Yes, if I don't get the chance to express my feelings here, then I will wait for her outside the main entrance!"

"But do you need us to come along with you?" Matsuri repeated.

Yuzu thought for a minute before facing Matsuri and Harumi.

"As much as I would like the help, I think I should face her alone." Yuzu decided. "I think it'd be way more personal if it was just me and her."

"Are you sure, Yuzu-Chan? She may end up hurting you even more," Matsuri added.

"It's okay." Yuzu waved her off. "I've got to do it this way."

Having nothing else to say, the three started to eat their lunch. Seeing as how Yuzu was quite determined today, Harumi and Matsuri didn't have to egg her to eat. Lunch time quickly ended, and the trio left the cafeteria. On the way to class, Yuzu took a detour to Mei's office, hoping to talk to her, only to find that it was empty. Yuzu grumbled in disappointment and was about to leave for her classroom when she noticed out of the corner of her eyes a person turning around running away from her. Focusing on the shape of the runner, Yuzu's eyes widened when she realized it was Mei.

"Mei, wait!" Yuzu shouted as she started running after her. But her pleads for the raven-haired girl to stop fell on deaf ears.

Yuzu chased Mei through the hallways of the school. As soon as Yuzu thought she was slowly closing the distance between herself and Mei, Mei would unexpectedly run around a corner or through a crowd of students, pushing Yuzu back.

"Mei, please stop ignoring me! Mei!" Yuzu exclaimed, but soon lost sight of her stepsister in the many heads of students who were now facing her with confusion and distaste.

Yuzu stopped in her tracks and panted heavily, clenching her fists tightly in frustration. She scanned the heads of the people in her sight again, only to find that Mei was gone.

 _Damnit, Mei! Stop ignoring me! I need to talk to you!_

Yuzu sighed in defeat and begrudgingly headed towards her next class. However, after remembering her conversation with Harumi and Matsuri, Yuzu held her fist to her chest in determination.

 _No matter! I'll just find you after school, where I'll finally be able to talk to you!_

* * *

Yuzu stared at the clock in her classroom, watching the clock hands ticking down the last few seconds of school. She licked her lips in anticipation, and when her teacher released the class, Yuzu bolted out her classroom, leaving her classmates to wonder what was going on.

 _Yes, I'm finally done with that hell! All I need to do now is just camp outside the school until Mei is done. It doesn't matter how long I have to wait, all I know is that I have to talk to her!_

Yuzu pushed her way through the corridors that were now flooded with other students. With determination, she squeezed through walls of students, wishing that time would fly by so she'd be able to talk to her stepsister without interference.

Yuzu sprinted past classroom after classroom, then stopped in her tracks and jogged backwards to an open doorway to inspect something that caught her eye. She gasped as the girl of interest was busy packing up her bag in the room.

 _It's Mei! So she's in this classroom, huh. Since she's right here, I can try and talk to her._

Yuzu marched into the classroom without alerting Mei, then grabbed her stepsister by the shoulders to force her to look at her.

"Yuzu!" Mei exclaimed in surprise, then struggled to shake off the blonde. "What are you doing? Leave me alone!"

"No! I won't! Not unless you actually listen to me for once!" Yuzu raised her voice, while the students in the classroom and hallway were staring her way.

"Get off of me!" Mei shouted, not wanting to listen to her stepsister. She knew that spending any time with Yuzu would further pain her and cause her to feel more guilty.

Other students tried to pull Yuzu off of Mei after hearing the latter's complaints, but Yuzu did not relent, pushing the students away. She had Mei trapped, and she did not want to lose her opportunity.

"Mei, I know exactly how you feel about me, and I'm pretty certain you know how I feel about you," Yuzu said with stern eyes while Mei tried to avoid looking at her. "There's no point in leaving when all it's going to do is make you sad and depressed!"

"You don't know what you're talking about!" Mei said with a shaky voice while still trying to fight Yuzu's grip.

"For once in my life, I DO know what I'm talking about!" Yuzu declared, still holding onto Mei. "I know that I am genuinely unhappy and lonely without you, and I'm sure you feel that way without me!"

"Get...off!" Mei cried out and tried not to listen, feeling tears well up in her eyes.

"Mei! Why are you trying so hard to avoid me? All I want to do is talk to you!" Yuzu shifted her head in front of Mei so the younger girl would have to look at her, only for the raven-haired girl to turn away.

"Mei, do you really want to sever our relationship? Do you really want to forget about everything we've done together? Everything we've experienced?" Yuzu grabbed Mei by the chin and forced her to look her in the eyes.

Mei was shocked to see the sincerity and passion in Yuzu's eyes. Right then and there, her resolve was beginning to fade, and so many emotions were rushing through her. She felt very conflicted: she very much wanted to be back by Yuzu's side, but also wanted to fulfill her destiny of inheriting the academy.

"And...if I said yes?" Mei barely squeaked, not thinking about what she was saying.

Yuzu let go of Mei as she stared at her stepsister in horror. Then, her stunned face turned into that of disgust.

"Then you're a selfish, coldhearted coward," Yuzu snarled.

Mei slapped Yuzu across the cheek. As she was about to make a remark towards her stepsister, she suddenly realized what she did and stared at her palm. Her hand started to shake violently, and Mei fearfully looked at Yuzu. She saw her shocked expression, her red cheek, and the pain her eyes. A single tear drop rolled down Yuzu's skin, and the entire room and hallway beside them was silent.

"Yuzu, I...I didn't mean to!" Mei shakily said, reaching her arm out to Yuzu while slowly stepping towards her. But Yuzu took several steps back, holding her palm to her stinging cheek.

"Yuzu?" Mei asked, feeling terrified by how silent and still the blonde was. But before the younger girl could close the distance between them, Yuzu broke out into a sprint, dashing out of the classroom and out of view while shoving several onlookers aside.

The sound of murmuring slowly filled the atmosphere while Mei continued to look at the doorway. The voices from the nearby students were becoming louder and louder inside her head, and she clutched her ears to try to drain out the sounds. However, even as she did so, she still couldn't escape the voices. The murmuring was becoming increasingly overwhelming, and Mei whimpered in fright.

"Meimei?" Himeko, who was also in the classroom, asked as she gently touched her friend's shoulder. However, Mei shrugged her gesture aside and ran out of the classroom as well, wiping the tears that were welling up in her eyes.

Mei ran through the hallways and into her office, locking the door behind her so no one else could bother her. She sat down at the table and buried her face in her arms. She cried and cried as time went on, regretting her actions and thinking to herself that she indeed was a selfish, cold hearted coward. And because of that, she may have really lost Yuzu.


	3. Chapter 3

**Big thanks to all the people who followed, favorited, and reviewed, and basically everyone who is reading my story**

 **Drama begins to unfold here, so please bear with me :)**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Citrus**

* * *

 **Chapter 3**

Ume watched the clock constantly from the dining table and had her phone in her hand, ready to be used. A couple hours ago, she had come back from work, expecting Yuzu to have prepared her a meal since she constantly came home very late at night. However, when Ume checked the fridge earlier, she didn't find her wrapped up meal and found only ingredients and drinks.

Since it was past midnight and Yuzu still wasn't home, Ume thought that she'd soon have to contact the police, but fortunately for her, she heard the sound of the front door opening

"Yuzu!" Ume exclaimed, shooting up from her seat and rushed to where her daughter was standing. She held Yuzu by the shoulders, taking in her disheveled appearance. "Where where you? You never returned my calls and texts, and I was getting ready to call the police!"

"I...was just hanging out at Harumi's place and accidentally lost track of time," Yuzu blurted out, avoiding her mom's eyes. In reality, Yuzu had run far away from school in no general direction, just knowing at the time that all she should do is run as fast as she could until her legs gave out. Fortunately for her, she had managed to find her way back home.

Normally, Ume would accept Yuzu's answer, but noticing her daughter's completely ruined state and how she had tear stains all over, she knew she was lying.

"Yuzu, tell me the truth right now!" Ume commanded, placing her hands on her own hips.

"I am!" Yuzu shouted, even though it was obvious she was lying, then tried to walk towards her room. "Mom, I'm going to sleep now so I can wake up for school."

"Hold on," Ume said in a commanding tone, causing Yuzu to look at her in confusion. Ume walked back to the dining table, where her laptop was, and started typing something out. "Yuzu, I'm very worried about you. You've been becoming very gloomy every day now, and I can't take it anymore."

"Mom, what are you doing?" Yuzu asked curiously.

"I'm emailing the school to let them know you can't go tomo...today, that is," Ume replied while typing furiously.

"But mom, I'm fine!" Yuzu whined.

"You're clearly not, and you need some rest. Maybe a day away from school should help," Ume said and stood up from the table. "I finished emailing your school, so now you can relax and cool off."

Yuzu nodded in defeat and made her way to her bedroom. She silently closed the door behind herself, turned on the lamp near her, flopped onto her bed, and looked up at the ceiling. Naturally, because she remained in that position doing nothing, she started thinking about her encounter with Mei.

"Mei, I trusted you..." she whimpered, raising her arm to her eyes as if to shield herself. Although she knew that Mei hadn't meant to slap her, the action still hurt the older girl's heart. Yuzu also knew that Mei wanted to talk to her to apologize, but she did not want to hear it. In fact, she didn't want to see her anymore because the thought of looking at her would cause many emotions to swirl within her and make her feel distressed.

 _Perhaps skipping school is a good idea. That way I don't have to stress about class, and, most importantly, I won't be heartbroken if I see her._

Yuzu flipped over onto her stomach to turn off the lamp, then turned onto her back again. She stared up at the now darkened ceiling and took deep breaths. After minutes passed by, and still not under the covers of the bed, Yuzu tossed and turned, trying to sleep, but could only envision Mei sleeping next to her. The Mei in her imagination was on the bed and looked so realistic that Yuzu tried to inch closer to her and move the strands of hair that were over her eyes. But of course, Yuzu's fingers went right through, and Yuzu cursed, flipping over so see wouldn't face Mei's side of the bed.

Yuzu constantly told herself that she had to move on and stop thinking about Mei. She also told herself it was better for them to go their separate ways and pursue their own dreams. However, no matter how hard Yuzu tried to stop thinking about her stepsister, and no matter how hard she tried to hate her in order to ease the pain, she couldn't.

* * *

"Where the heck is Yuzucchi?" Harumi groaned, shifting in her chair and scanning the cafeteria for her friend. "She wasn't in class earlier today either!"

"Do you think she's getting lectured again?" asked Matsuri, who leaned back in her chair and sighed.

"Maybe. And we had just told her yesterday to stop coming in late!" Harumi pounded the table in disappointment. "And she isn't replying to my texts or calls either! Don't tell me she forgot to charge her phone again!"

The two girls ate silently while trying to come up with ideas on Yuzu's whereabouts. They'd look up from their meals every so often to see if the blonde would show up, only to be disappointed.

"Hey, Taniguchi-senpai," Matsuri said, catching the girl's attention," do you think she's late or skipping school because of Mei-san?"

Harumi stroked her chin for a moment. She did hear rumors about how Mei and Yuzu has gotten into a fight yesterday, so it would make sense for Yuzu to be distant now.

"Yeah, could be, considering all those rumors I've been hearing in class." Harumi muttered.

"Yeah, the people in my class have been talking about it a lot as well. Dang, we should have been there to support Yuzu-Chan!" Matsuri said with frustration. "Who knows how bad Mei-San could have hurt her?"

Their attention was now brought over to the entrance to the cafeteria, where a number of students were murmuring about the person who was walking in. Harumi and Matsuri looked on with curiosity, then gasped when they saw Mei, who appeared to be looking around for someone.

"The prez? What the heck is she doing here? She pretty much never comes here!" Harumi said in a hushed voice, while Matsuri shrugged.

"I heard that Mei-San ended up hitting Yuzu, so I wouldn't be surprised if Mei-San is here to apologize to her," Matsuri said with contempt.

"Wait, really?" Harumi asked with surprise, getting a nod from the pink-haired girl.

Mei's eyes landed on Harumi and Matsuri's table, then she started walking towards them. Harumi and Matsuri looked at each other, knowing that Mei was going to ask them about Yuzu, then looked back as Mei stood in front of them.

"What can I do for you, miss?" Matsuri sarcastically said.

"I'm looking for Yuzu, and considering how you two are very close to her, I'd like to know if any of you could tell me about her current location," Mei calmly said.

"Pfft, you're her stepsister, so shouldn't you be able to easily contact her?" Harumi cheekily said.

"Unfortunately, I cannot. Do you know where I can find her?" Mei asked again.

"Even if we did know, we wouldn't tell you. You'd probably just hurt her again, like yesterday," Matsuri replied snobbishly. Matsuri and Harumi observed how the student council president briefly shut her eyes, clenched her fists, and took a deep breath before relaxing.

"I know I've made many terrible mistakes, and I know I cannot be forgiven for any of them. However, I'd still like to speak with Yuzu to make whatever amends I can," Mei said.

"Unless you plan on dumping your fiancé, you can give up on seeing Yuzu, "Matsuri growled. "I doubt that she would even want to see you at this point because all you're going to do is just make her suffer."

"I...I can't just dump my fiancé. I have to get married to him. I'm hoping to let Yuzu understand," Mei tried to explain.

"Well you better understand that what you just said basically guarantees that Yuzu will never come back to you. You got that? Never." Matsuri snarled, then turned to Harumi. "Come on, I'm not really in the mood for lunch. Let's get out of here."

Harumi and Matsuri left the cafeteria, leaving Mei by the lunch table, clenching her fists tightly. Mei struggled to suppress her tears but somehow regained composure. Sniffling, she turned around and made her way out of the cafeteria while ignoring the gazes from nearby students

* * *

After school and deciding to help Yuzu combat her stress and anxiety, Harumi and Matsuri walked to blonde's apartment. They approached the front door and rang the doorbell. The two girls tapped their foot and quickly grew impatient, ringing the doorbell again. There was still no answer, so Harumi and Matsuri pressed their ears to the door to listen for any noises from inside.

"I don't think she's home," Harumi groaned.

"It's that, or she can't be bothered with answering the door," Matsuri said with her hands on her hips.

"To be honest, I didn't think Yuzu would be brought down to such a level," Harumi sighed, this time knocking on the door. "She's usually very expressive and energetic, but now I'm genuinely worried that she has depression."

Matsuri nodded in agreement. The two of them stood outside for a few more minutes before deciding to head back. They said goodbye to each other and headed their separate ways, wondering about Yuzu and how she was feeling. Meanwhile, inside the apartment, Yuzu was curled up in the covers of her bed, trying desperately to sleep through the whole day so she'd finally experience tranquility. She tried everything she could think of, including shutting her eyes, hiding underneath her blankets to be in the dark, and counting sheep. Unfortunately for her, what should have been a relaxing day for her turned out to be a restless one. In fact, she'd been crying the whole day to the point that she couldn't produce any more tears. Mei haunted her, and Yuzu begged for mercy throughout the rest of the day and through the night.

* * *

"Yuzu, I'm coming in," her mother said, slowly opening the door. The woman walked inside the bedroom and sat beside Yuzu, who lay on her side facing away from Mei's side of the bed. Ume noticed that she was awake, and after observing her puffy red eyes, Ume appeared very saddened. "Yuzu, did you sleep at all?"

"Only a couple hours," Yuzu replied truthfully after a moment of silence.

Ume placed her hand on Yuzu's back and slowly massaged her to comfort her.

"Do you have any energy to go to school?" Ume asked with a light voice.

Yuzu slowly sat up in bed and stretched her arms, feeling miserable.

"I don't know, but I'll still go so I won't get into trouble," Yuzu replied.

"All right...just...don't push yourself too hard, okay?" Ume brushed Yuzu's bangs aside while Yuzu nodded her head. Ume stood up and decided to leave so Yuzu could change into her school uniform.

Yuzu sluggishly got out of bed, stretched her back, then changed her clothes. She couldn't be bothered with doing her hair or make up, so she left her room, packed her things, and left.

Yuzu was able to make it to school at a decent time, arriving ten minutes before class started. She walked through the main gate, through the doors, and into her classroom. Harumi looked up from her desk with wide eyes and jumped up from her seat to hug Yuzu.

"Yuzucchi!" Harumi exclaimed. "Matsuri and I were so worried about you!"

"Sorry about that, I skipped school yesterday to lay back." Yuzu weakly hugged her friend back. "Oh yeah, I kinda forgot to charge my phone, so I'm sorry if I missed your calls."

"Nah, it's fine. I'm just glad that you're okay now." Harumi smiled as she let go of the blonde.

The two sat at their desks and the teacher came in. Class started, causing Yuzu to stare out the window in boredom. As the teacher was busy teaching advanced mathematics, Harumi gently nudged Yuzu, grabbing her attention.

"Were you home the whole day yesterday?" Harumi whispered. "Matsuri and I came by your house to check up on you, but no one answered."

"Yeah, I was. I'm sorry that I didn't answer the door. I wasn't in the mood and all I wanted to do was try and sleep so I'd feel some peace and quiet," Yuzu replied in a low voice.

"Ah, I see," Harumi simply said, then turned her attention to the front board when the teacher started eyeing her suspiciously. When the teacher turned around, Harumi nudged Yuzu again. "Hey, your stepsister was looking for you yesterday."

Yuzu gulped loudly, then turned away to look out the window. Harumi observed how her friend was fidgeting around in her seat with a troubled face.

 _Guess the prez is a super sensitive topic that I can't bring up now._

Harumi sighed and looked back at the teacher, trying to listen to the lecture but quickly becoming bored.

After more than half an hour, class was dismissed. Yuzu and Harumi went to the other classes they had, and when it came lunch time, they walked to their lunch table, where Matsuri was waiting.

"Yuzu-Chan! I missed you!" Matsuri exclaimed, hugging her like Harumi had done earlier.

"I was only gone for like one day," Yuzu said, barely returning the hug. They separated and sat down. They ate quietly, with Yuzu reluctantly eating because she didn't feel too hungry.

"Say, Yuzu-Chan, Mei-San came b-" Matsuri said but quickly paused when she noticed Harumi looking at her and shaking her head. Matsuri got the message and stopped, fearing that talking about Mei would be too much for Yuzu right now.

Yuzu slowed down her eating and stared at the table, feeling more and more gloomy. Harumi and Matsuri watched her, neither of them knowing what to say.

 _Damn, why do I feel so conflicted when I think about her? Why is it that I want to see her and talk to her, yet I also want to avoid her and maybe despise her?_

Yuzu closed her eyes and took several deep breaths.

 _I love her, but I know that she's better off marrying someone else...we can't possibly share that kind of relationship. Maybe...this is for the best..._

Yuzu lowered her head in despair.

 _Even so, the thought of Mei going off with someone else and spending the rest of their lives together really, really hurts._

Yuzu pictured in her mind Mei's wedding and a very painful image of Mei, standing side-by-side with her husband, clutching her large, round stomach. Yuzu almost threw up at the thought of Mei becoming pregnant with someone else, and she started to feel lightheaded.

"Say, Yuzucchi, do you want to hangout at the mall today? It'll be fun with you, me and Matsuri!" Harumi smiled, trying to lighten up the mood.

"Yeah, wouldn't that be so much fun? We can even go to the arcade!" Matsuri chimed in.

Harumi and Matsuri looked at Yuzu expectantly, waiting for an answer, but all they were met with was her friend closing her eyes and falling to her side onto the floor.

"Yuzu!" Harumi and Matsuri screamed, jumping up from their seats and crouching by Yuzu's unconscious body. Nearby students looked on in panic, with some students running to call nearby teachers.

* * *

Yuzu fluttered her eyes open and found herself laying on a bed in the nurse's room. She groaned loudly and tried to sit up when she felt two pairs of hands gently pushing her down. She turned to her left and right to see Harumi and Matsuri by her sides.

"Harumi? Matsuri?" Yuzu asked groggily, feeling fuzzy in the head.

"Yep, it's us!" Harumi smiled.

"You fainted during lunch, so you were brought here to rest," Matsuri explained. "So for now, you should just lay down and nap."

"But what about class? You two will get in trouble for staying here with me." Yuzu said.

"Don't worry about us, okay?" Harumi winked. "Plus, you've been out cold for quite awhile, since school is almost over. But for now, the only thing you should be focusing on is relaxing."

Yuzu nodded and smiled at her friends. She closed her eyes and lay contently on the bed and was about to fall asleep when she heard fierce voices.

"Hey, what the hell are you doing here?" Matsuri asked.

"I came here as soon as I heard about what happened," came a reply.

 _Huh? That voice...is it..._

Yuzu opened her eyes and gasped when she saw Mei standing at the end of the bed, looking at her with concern.

"Mei!" Yuzu cried out in surprise, sitting up straight and immediately clutching her head in pain due to the sudden movement.

 _What the heck is she doing here? Why would she come here to see me?_

The sudden turn of events caused Yuzu to shut her eyes tightly, trying to remain calm. She blocked her ears with her hands and started shaking her head in confusion.

"See? You're just making her suffer!" Yuzu heard Matsuri yell, even through her blocked ears.

"Nonsense! That's a bold accusation!" She heard Mei say.

"Ever since you betrayed her, she's been feeling very stressed and helpless!"

"Stop it! I just want to tal-"

"You're not wanted here! You're not dumping your fiancé so you better not show your face around Yuzu-Chan again!"

"Yeah, Yuzucchi has been a total mess because you left her!"

"I'm sorry!"

"An apology ain't gonna cut it!"

"Please, you have to unders-"

"All we understand is that you're a sadistic person who would leave your loved one behind in a heartbeat!"

"I'm sorry, but I can't be with Yuzu!"

Yuzu suddenly screamed at the top of her lungs and ran towards the door. Overwhelming emotions coursed through her body, and she had to escape. Fast.

Harumi, Matsuri and Mei were stunned as they watched Yuzu run out of sight. Never before had the girl expressed such agony and turmoil, and never before have the three girls witnessed Yuzu reach her breaking point.

Matsuri faced Mei and pointed a finger at her threateningly, her face full of fury.

"This is exactly what I meant when I said that all you're going to do is cause her anguish. You're dirt. You're pathetic. You're a disgrace. And you're a traitor." Matsuri spat at Mei's face. "You meant the world to Yuzu! And you've sent her to hell."

Matsuri quickly dragged Harumi with her to find Yuzu, leaving Mei by herself in the nurse's office. Matsuri's words stung, but she didn't deny a single thing she said. She really was cruel, especially considering how she had stole Yuzu's first kiss and essentially seduced her. She had made Yuzu fall in love with her, and now she had broken her heart.

"Yuzu..." Mei started to snivel. She dropped down to her knees and cried into her hands. She hated herself with a passion, and she didn't know what to do with herself anymore.

After ten minutes or so, after she started to recollect herself, Mei could make out Himeko's figure walking quickly towards her in the hallway. Himeko stopped in front of Mei and noticed her tear stains and red eyes.

"Meimei, are you okay?" Himeko asked.

"I'm fine. What did you come here to do?" Mei said in her normal voice.

"Well, your grandfather called and said he had urgent news to share with you."

"Okay. I'll go call him now. Thank you for letting me know."

Mei made her way to her office and picked up the phone there. She dialed her grandfather's number and waited until he answered the phone.

"Mei, thank you for calling," came a voice from the phone.

"Grandfather, what is it that you have called me for?" Mei asked.

"Ah, well I've decided that in order for you and your fiancé to get well acquainted, you should take time off to be with him."

Mei widened her eyes, not expecting this to happen.

"You see, in order for the Aihara Academy to prosper, you must be on good relations with the Udagawa's. As I've mentioned before, your suitor is very experienced in company management, so it is imperative that this marriage sees through," her grandfather said.

"But...what about school? What about attendance, homework, and tests?" Mei asked.

"Well," her grandfather chuckled, "considering how you are a top student and heir to the academy, you don't have to worry about a thing. I'll take care of it. Now, am I clear that you must strengthen your relationship with Udagawa?"

There was no response for several seconds.

"Mei, am I clear?" her grandfather repeated.

"...yes. Yes you are." Mei said hesitantly.

"Good. Also, we have scheduled your wedding to be in exactly two months. We will send invitations later."

The phone call ended, and Mei placed the phone back. She walked towards the window and watched from above as the students were being released from school. As the school ground was beginning to flood with students, Mei observed as a pink-haired girl and another girl with dark hair was accompanying a sulking blonde girl. Mei placed her hand on the window and reached out for Yuzu, longing for her, until the dam in her eyes broke.


	4. Chapter 4

**Thank you all so much for favoriting, following, and reviewing my story! It genuinely warms my heart.**

 **There will probably be only one more chapter and an Epilogue to write, so stay tuned!**

 **There's a somewhat cliche moment towards the end of this chapter, but other than that, please enjoy! (Don't worry, I intend to make this story have a happy ending)**

* * *

 **Chapter 4**

For the past week, ever since she heard from other students that Mei had left to spend more time with her fiancé, Yuzu had been becoming more and more distant not only to her mother, but also to her friends. Yuzu's depression had spiraled out of control to the point that she never talked to anyone, rarely got up to move, rarely ate, and rarely slept. Naturally, her teachers noticed her depressed state and wanted to talk to her after school. Yuzu would reluctantly agree to stay, and when her teachers tried to comfort her and offer her snacks, she'd shrug them off and ask to be dismissed. Seeing as how they were unable to help Yuzu, her teachers had to call Ume, telling her about the severity of Yuzu's mental state. Ume had known that her daughter was feeling unwell, but she didn't know that her daughter's depression was this bad.

For the past few days, Ume had been trying to give Yuzu antidepressants after taking her to see the doctor. Yuzu's mother even invited Harumi and Matsuri over a couple times to try to cheer Yuzu up, but unfortunately for her and her daughter, Yuzu's behavior hadn't changed one bit.

Today, Yuzu got out of bed and exited her bedroom, having already been dressed in her school clothes since she didn't bother to take them off last night. Since she had been doing very little to maintain good hygiene, including showering, her clothes and her body started to smell, even though her mother constantly urged her to use the bathtub.

After packing her things, Yuzu left her house and made her way to school. Like always, whenever Yuzu arrived in class and sat down at her desk, Harumi would ask if she was fine or if she wanted to talk about her problems, and like always, Yuzu wouldn't answer her.

Harumi was growing very frustrated by Yuzu's constant state of despair and how the blonde wouldn't let her friends help her. Even though Harumi wanted to shout at Yuzu to stop sulking, she knew she was in no position to do such things. Harumi could only wonder about the painful experience that Yuzu was going through right now and wondered if there was anything that could help her.

Harumi watched Yuzu for the whole class, observing how her friend was just staring at the wooden desk or the window.

 _That's it! Matsuri and I have had enough looking at how depressed you are! This time, we're not going to let you off easy until we find a solution!_

When it was lunch time, Harumi and Matsuri waited for Yuzu to make her way towards the table. The two girls had been discussing how to get Yuzu out of her slump and decided that they would try to lure her.

Once Yuzu sat down at the table, she took out her lunch and stared at her food. Harumi and Matsuri slid their chairs next to Yuzu and wrapped their arms around the back of her neck.

"Hey, Yuzucchi, Matsuri and I have something planned at my place tonight, want to come along?" Harumi asked jovially.

Yuzu didn't respond, as expected.

"Come on, it's the weekend tomorrow! Plus, your mom told us that she won't ever let you back home unless you hang out with us and spend the night!" Matsuri said, hoping that that should convince her.

Yuzu took some time to process what Matsuri said before she shrugged her shoulders in response, causing Harumi and Matsuri to pump their fists in the air and high five each other behind Yuzu's back.

"Alright, after school, we'll walk together to my house then!" Harumi declared.

When it was time, Harumi and Matsuri dragged Yuzu from the front gate all the way to Harumi's. The girls settled in her room, where Yuzu crawled inside Harumi's closet and shut the door. Harumi and Matsuri were having none of that, so they opened the door and dragged Yuzu from the closet and onto the floor.

"No, Yuzucchi! You're not going to hide in there!" Harumi smirked, pinning the blonde's arms to the sides.

Yuzu struggled to get out of Harumi's grip, then widened her eyes in fear when she saw Matsuri with a mischievous grin. As Yuzu tried to flail her arms around, Matsuri raised both her hands, moving each of her fingers up and down rapidly as she approached Yuzu's stomach.

"No! Let go of me!" Yuzu pleaded, but it was too late. The pink-haired girl dove into her stomach, tickling her while Harumi kept her arms pinned against the floor. Yuzu started to kick around with her feet, so Matsuri had to sit on her legs to keep the blonde still.

Harumi and Matsuri watched with delight as Yuzu started laughing uncontrollably, instantly showing more emotion than ever in a long time. After an excruciating minute, Matsuri stopped to let Yuzu catch her breath.

"So, are you finally going to stop being all isolated and quiet?" Harumi asked. Yuzu didn't respond, so Matsuri started tickling her again.

"AAAAH! S-STOP!" Yuzu screamed, not knowing how much more she could take. This time, Harumi managed to pin both of Yuzu's arms with one hand and decided to start torturing her friend as well, causing the girl to laugh even louder.

"We will keep going unless you promise to stop distancing yourself from us!" Matsuri snickered.

Yuzu tried not to submit to her friends, attempting to keep her mouth shut, but when Matsuri started tickling her feet, the sensations from her stomach and feet caused her to howl loudly.

"Okay! Okay!" Yuzu screamed with laughter.

"'Okay' what?" Harumi and Matsuri smiled deviously.

"I'll stop distancing myself from you two, I swear! Please, I promise!"

"All right, then!" Harumi and Matsuri let go of Yuzu and snickered to themselves as Yuzu tried to catch her breath.

Yuzu sat up and couldn't help but smile and laugh along with Harumi and Matsuri. Yuzu's friends both sighed in relief, noticing how Yuzu's spirit was lifted. Realizing that Yuzu's happiness here could very well end quickly, Harumi and Matsuri thought about ways to distract Yuzu from her problems.

"All right! What do you girls say we do now?" Harumi asked, wanting to do something fun for Yuzu.

* * *

In a fancy, expensive restaurant, Udagawa, dressed in an expensive suit with his hair slicked back, courteously pulled out a seat for Mei, who was wearing a simple dress and had her hair done much like when she had first found out that Udagawa would be her future husband. Mei accepted his gesture and sat down, nodding her thanks as Udagawa sat down across from her. They sat in silence, enjoying the peaceful atmosphere that was set up by several dimmed lights hanging overhead, and a small orchestra nearby that was playing music to add to the ambience.

"Thank you for agreeing to join me to dinner today." Udagawa smiled as he reached across the table and gently grasped Mei's hand.

"Thank you for your kindness and hospitality," Mei bowed, causing Udagawa to wave his hands at her.

"Oh, no need for the formalities!" he said, causing Mei to lift her head. The two awkwardly looked away from each other, not knowing how to start a conversation.

"So...how was school before...you know...left?" Udagawa asked after some time.

"It was fine. Just like my previous years there, I had to do a lot of paperwork while managing academics," Mei replied.

"Well I hope you weren't too stressed out about all the work you had to do!" Udagawa smiled.

"I managed...somehow," Mei simply said.

The waiter came by and took their orders, then left so they could return to their conversation.

"Did you have any free time? Or were you too busy with school?" Udagawa inquired.

"On most days, I was too concentrated studying for tests and fulfilling the requirements of being the student council president. Whenever I had the rare opportunity to rest, I'd read," Mei answered, causing Udagawa to look amazed.

"Wow, you must be a very diligent student!" Udagawa praised. "I, fortunately enough, was able to relax a bit every now and then in school."

After a few minutes, the waiter returned with their meals. Udagawa and Mei said their thanks, then started eating.

"So, how's your stepsister?" Udagawa asked, causing Mei's eyes to dilate. "I haven't heard from her in a while. I hope she's managing her school work just as well as you!"

"Yuzu...is doing fine." Mei gulped. "However, the last time I checked, her grades were starting to decline."

"Well that's a shame. I wonder what could be causing her grades to drop?" Udagawa wondered.

"Yeah...same," Mei said, although she already knew that she, herself, was the reason.

"Hmm, the last time we spoke, she said something about how she managed to get together with the person she liked." Udagawa brought up, causing Mei to grip her dress underneath the table. "I wouldn't be surprised if she was too focused on that person to study! In fact, she had bought the person a ring to signify her love!"

Mei made a choking sound, causing Udagawa to look at her with concern.

"Mei, what's wrong?" he asked, noticing her clutching her chest. Unbeknownst to him, Mei was gripping tightly through her dress the ring Yuzu had gave her.

"I'm fine, I'm fine." Mei said, regaining her composure.

"Whew! Guess you were eating too fast and ended up choking on your food!" Udagawa exclaimed, not knowing what really happened.

The two returned to their meals. Mei, who was too busy thinking about Yuzu, ended up losing her appetite and was eating at a much slower pace. Udagawa thought she was getting too full, so he offered to get a box to package their unfinished dinner for later. Mei agreed, and after Udagawa paid for their dinner, they left.

* * *

Harumi had called Yuzu's mother earlier to let her know that Yuzu was staying over for the night. Ume happily and instantly agreed to let her daughter stay, thinking that this would a good first step to bring back her cordial daughter. After hanging up the phone, the three girls ended up watching movies until it was time for dinner.

"Someone get me food! I'm starving!" Yuzu whined while Harumi facepalmed. "Hurry!"

"Yuzucchi, calm down!" Harumi commanded. Ever since Yuzu brightened up a bit, the blonde realized just how little she had eaten for the past few weeks and now wished to satisfy her stomach. "I'm going to order some fast food, so are you two feeling some western food tonight?"

"Oh, get us hamburgers or pizza!" Matsuri suggested.

"I don't really care what we get, I just want food!" Yuzu exclaimed while shaking Harumi back and forth by the shoulders.

"Okay, okay! Sheesh!" Harumi sighed, then picked up her phone. "Yuzucchi, you better toss yourself into the shower while we wait for the food arrive, because I don't want to smell your filth throughout the night! You can use my spare clothes when you're done."

Yuzu nodded and made her way to Harumi's drawer, fetching an oversized shirt and relatively short shorts. Yuzu decided not to bring Harumi's underwear, feeling that she'd be too uncomfortable wearing her friend's undergarments. After she picked out the clothes, she closed the drawer and headed towards the bathroom, while Harumi was busy placing the order and Matsuri was playing games on her phone.

Yuzu stripped off her clothes in the bathroom and turned on the shower. As she thoroughly washed her hair and her body, she felt refreshed and revitalized. She hummed to herself, thinking how wonderful it was to shower without constantly being reminded of Mei in the bathtub at home. After scrubbing every inch of her body, Yuzu turned off the shower head and dried herself with a guest towel. After changing into Harumi's clothes, she used a nearby hairdryer until her hair wasn't completely drenched. She stepped out of the bathroom and caught the smell of food coming from Harumi's room.

"Ah, just in time!" Harumi grinned as Yuzu entered.

"Come on, let's dig in before the pizza gets cold!" Matsuri gestured for Yuzu to sit down.

"Harumi, are you sure it's fine to eat here instead of in the dining room?" Yuzu asked, sitting beside her two friends.

"Don't worry about it! As long as we don't make a mess, this should be fine," Harumi said, munching on her slice of pizza.

The three girls ate their dinner and laughed whenever someone tried to eat the strings of cheese that dangled very low from the slices of pizza. As they talked about various subjects, ranging from shopping to upcoming movies, Yuzu looked at her friends with an appreciative smile, catching their attention.

"Thanks, you two," Yuzu said softly, holding her hands to her heart. "Thanks for helping me and cheering me up. I don't know how I can return the favor."

"Awww, it's no problem at all, " Harumi said, slapping Yuzu's back. "It's our job to get you back onto your feet!"

"Yeah, so if you ever get depressed again, we're going to make sure that you stop sulking around!" Matsuri beamed, wrapping her arm around Yuzu's shoulders.

"I'm really grateful I have you two as my friends," Yuzu said before she looked down at the ground with worry, "but I know I can't keep relying on your help. Tomorrow, when I go back home, I don't know if I will be able to control my emotions, because I'm afraid Mei will be stuck in my mind like always."

Harumi pondered for a few seconds before turning to Yuzu.

"When you said that she would be stuck in your mind, what exactly do you mean?" Harumi inquired.

"Well...I usually imagine that she's there with me, doing things from back then," Yuzu murmured.

"So wait, whenever you envision her, she's always doing something from a past experience, right?" Harumi asked, earning a nod from Yuzu. "So...that means that you can't sleep at night because you have important memories of her in your bedroom, and based on how you haven't taken a shower in ages, I'm correct in assuming that you have done something with her there, right?"

"Y-yeah," Yuzu replied, her cheeks reddening as Harumi was quickly able to decipher her.

"So...what if you spend more time in places where you and Mei haven't really done anything in? That should help, right?" Harumi suggested.

"Yeah, I suppose it could work, especially since I was able to shower just now without any trouble," Yuzu said with hope.

"All right, so have any places in mind where you will be less likely to be stressing over Mei-San?" Matsuri asked this time.

"Well, we haven't done anything special in my mom's room, and we haven't done anything in her bathroom either," Yuzu replied.

"That's a start. So over the weekend, you should test out this theory, okay? And you better report to us about your findings!" Matsuri crossed her arms.

"All right, I will," Yuzu promised, hoping that she will finally stop suffering everyday. Suddenly, a pillow whacked Yuzu in the face and sent her on her back, making her feel disoriented. Yuzu looked up to see Harumi standing over her with an evil grin.

"Yuzucchi, you better charge your phone, too! For the past two weeks or so, I haven't been able to contact you by phone, and I'm getting sick and tired of it!" Harumi said threateningly, raising her pillow for another strike.

"I'm sorry, Harumi! I promise I'll charge it tomorrow when I get home!" Yuzu pleaded, shielding herself as she felt the pillow hit her again.

"Why don't you have your phone now?" Harumi demanded an answer, hitting Yuzu repeatedly. "You could be charging it now!"

"I'm sorry, I forgot to bring it!" Yuzu shouted, then quickly jumped up and ran to the closet, taking out another pillow. "Ha! Now I have self defense!" She declared, suddenly going on the offensive against Harumi.

"Gah! No, you will not beat me!" Harumi yelled, attempting to counter Yuzu's strikes.

"Hey, I want to join in on the fun!" Matsuri whined, making her way to the closet to retrieve a pillow. However, the instant Matsuri turned around to join the pillow fight, she got double-teamed by Yuzu and Harumi.

* * *

The plan worked most of the time. After requesting to sleep in her mother's room, Yuzu was finally able to get ample sleep, rarely thinking about her stepsister. And whenever she wanted to bathe, she'd use her mother's bathroom without any trouble. Ume wanted to ask why Yuzu all of a sudden wanted to use her bedroom and bathroom, but decided not to question her daughter seeing how Yuzu appeared a lot more lively and less distressed.

Even though Yuzu felt much better about not hallucinating about Mei all the the time, she couldn't help but feel a bit guilty. In her head, she felt that purposefully forgetting about Mei and the memories she had of her was a lot like backstabbing. Yuzu didn't want to forget the precious moments she shared with Mei, yet she also didn't want to be sucked into a blackhole and think only of Mei and what their relationship could have been.

Over the course of the weekend, Yuzu had kept Harumi and Matsuri up-to-date about her mental health through text messages. Her friends were quite happy with the results and told her to keep it up. While Yuzu was happy with her progress, she couldn't help but occasionally fantasize about Mei, like when she dreamed of herself and Mei in their own house, holding up their hands to reveal their wedding rings while sitting comfortably on a couch with their adopted children.

One day, after school, Harumi and Matsuri convinced Yuzu to go shopping with them. Yuzu obliged, and they gleefully made their way to the closest mall. Inside the massive complex, the three girls visited every single store, trying to figure out what they should buy. They eventually went into a clothing store to buy some winter clothes for the upcoming season, with the girls trying on different stylish jackets, gloves, and other clothes types.

"Hey, should I get a hat to protect my ears from the cold?" Matsuri asked while looking at the winter hats section of the store.

"But don't you already have that cute hat with the cat ears?" Yuzu asked while examining the winter coat aisle.

"Yeah, I guess I don't need another one," Matsuri said, now heading over to the gloves section.

Yuzu scavenged through coat after coat, then turned to Harumi, who was also looking for a jacket to wear.

"What do you think of this?" Yuzu held up a white coat that was long enough to cover the top of her upper thighs, and had fur lining the tip of the hood.

"I think it would look great on you!" Harumi complimented, so Yuzu decided to hold onto the coat to purchase later.

Yuzu joined Matsuri in the gloves section, wanting to replace her old worn out gloves that had holes where the fingertips were. After Harumi, Matsuri, and Yuzu purchased the clothes they wanted, they headed towards the arcade. Matsuri wanted to jump right into the more violent games, so Yuzu and Harumi watched as the pink-haired girl singlehandedly defeated wave-after-wave of zombies in a shooting game. Matsuri shrugged her shoulders and decided that the game was too easy, so she wanted to see Harumi and Yuzu play. At first, Yuzu thought she was doing very well with Harumi, being able to shoot and kill the zombies in their path, but when a zombie suddenly popped up on the screen out of nowhere, Yuzu screamed and accidentally dropped her gun, causing herself and Harumi to lose.

Next they went to the claw machines, where Yuzu was intent on winning a brand new smartphone inside the glass case. Even though Harumi and Matsuri warned her about how she would end up wasting her money, Yuzu didn't listen, inserting coin-after-coin into the machine. Whenever the claw landed directly over the smartphone case, the claw would slide off the prize, causing Yuzu to growl in frustration. Sometimes, the claw would weakly grab hold of the prize before dropping it, making Yuzu bang her head against a nearby wall. After five minutes and no progress, Yuzu kicked the machine and flipped it off, saying how claw machines were rigged.

The girls headed towards the arcade basketball, deciding to compete against each other to see who would get the most points and who would be the ultimate loser. When they started firing basketballs into the hoop, Matsuri began to complain about how the metal structures of the machine was blocking her view since she had a short stature. Yuzu and Harumi grinned, thinking that Matsuri would be the loser for sure, but the end result showed that Matsuri somehow scored higher than both Harumi and Yuzu, and Harumi barely clutched it over Yuzu.

After playing many other games, as well as window shopping, Harumi, Matsuri, and Yuzu realized that they had lost track of time, since it was already late at night. They started heading for the front entrance of the mall, walking down a wide corridor filled with other people, but the three girls suddenly stopped in their tracks. Yuzu gaped at the sight in front of her: a raven-haired girl and a familiar-looking person with glasses, walking side-by-side.

 _Mei and...my ex-boss? What are they doing here?_

Unable to pry her eyes, Yuzu observed them stopping in their tracks, with Udagawa facing Mei and leaning towards her face. The insides of Yuzu started to boil, and the blonde started to feel incredibly sick and disoriented as she watched Udagawa plant his lips on Mei's. Yuzu's eyes immediately began to produce tears, and all the progress she thought she was making in terms of coping with Mei's leave suddenly crumbled. Unable to watch, Yuzu turned around and started running, shoving people aside in the process.

After hearing the sound of people complaining, Mei and Udagawa separated and looked for where the commotion was coming from. Mei scanned her surroundings and froze, feeling her heart stop when she saw Yuzu's blonde hair running further and further away until it disappeared behind the heads of other people. Not wanting Yuzu to get away, Mei ran after her, but her mission was cut short when Harumi and Matsuri stepped in front of her. Mei tried to walk around them, but Matsuri hastily shoved Mei to the ground.

"Hey, what are you doing?!" Udagawa barked furiously at Matsuri while he assisted Mei in standing up. When he took a closer look at who shoved his fiancé to the ground, he looked surprised. "Matsuri?"

"So, you're getting married to the traitor here, huh," Matsuri said with malice, causing Udagawa to back up in fear.

"Traitor? What are you talking about? She's done nothing wrong!" Udagawa defended Mei.

Matsuri motioned for Harumi to look after Yuzu, and when Harumi turned around to search for the blonde, Matsuri faced Mei again.

"So, what do you have to say for yourself?" Matsuri asked with contempt. "You screwed up! Big time! And you better not beg for forgiveness because you will get none!"

"Hold up! Mei doesn't have to prove anything to you!" Udagawa said, slowly approaching the smaller girl.

"I'm not talking to you!" Matsuri screamed, kicking Udagawa in the shin and causing him to fall to the ground and clutch his leg. A crowd of people started to form around them, wondering what was happening.

When Mei tried to run around her to chase after Yuzu, Matsuri pushed her back again.

"So, what do you have to say for yourself!?" Matsuri shouted her question again. "Just when Yuzu was finally starting heal after weeks of depression, you immediately went and crushed her! You're awful!"

"Don't you dare talk to her like that," Udagawa threatened, slowly standing up, but was immediately kicked back to the ground.

Noticing that Mei had nothing to say and how she had trouble controlling her emotions, Matsuri decided to leave, but not before letting out one last insult. "You're a sad excuse for a human being, bitch."

Watching Matsuri run away and disappear into a crowd of people, Udagawa stood up and wrapped his arm around Mei.

"Should I call the police? I'm surprised the security isn't here," Udagawa said, preparing to pull out his phone.

"No, don't. Forget about it," Mei said quietly.

"Are you sure? That devil-"

"I said forget about it!" Mei shouted, then controlled her voice. "Let's just go home."

Udagawa obliged, and they both exited the mall. Once in the Udagawa residence, Mei and Udagawa decided that it was time to sleep. Normally, Mei would sleep at the very edge of the king sized bed, away from her fiancé, but tonight, she didn't feel comfortable sleeping in the same room.

"Excuse me, is it all right if I sleep on the couch in the living room?" Mei asked, avoiding Udagawa's eyes.

"Oh, uhh, sure! It's fine," Udagawa replied, although he looked very concerned as he watched Mei leave the room and into the hallway. "Goodnight! Come talk to me if something is troubling your mind!" he called out, but Mei didn't respond to him.

In the dark living room, Mei quietly lay down on the couch and huddled a pillow to her chest. Her eyes remained opened, staring out into the nothingness. Her finger touched her lips, remembering how Udagawa decided to kiss her in hopes of making the passage into husband and wife easier. But when he did kiss her, his lips felt completely wrong and incompatible to Mei. The kiss completely disgusted her, and Mei knew why: it wasn't from Yuzu. Only Yuzu's passion and touch could make Mei feel naturally at bliss, and Mei didn't deny that she wanted more of Yuzu's warmth.

All of this led Mei to a crossroad, contemplating if she should continue to pursue her life goal of inheriting the academy, or if she should go after Yuzu. The thing is, if Mei chose the academy, she would no doubt feel lonely and guilty for the rest of her life for leaving Yuzu behind, and if she chose Yuzu, she'd have to find a new job of interest. Not only that, but there was no guarantee that her relationship with Yuzu would work out, considering how a relationship between two stepsisters is unheard of and is shunned by the public, plus it would ruin both her father and stepmother's lives.

Mei kept weighing the positives and negatives of both options, not knowing which one she should choose. She thought back to choosing the academy, telling herself that she could try to open up to her fiancé. However, she realized that it was wishful thinking: her love for Udagawa was nonexistent, and they both knew this whole marriage is only for the sake of a business deal.

Mei thought back to choosing Yuzu, but then a new fear was growing within her: because Yuzu undoubtedly and absolutely hated her, the blonde would try not to associate with her for all the pain and grief that Mei had caused, and this may cause Yuzu to search for another romantic partner.

"What do I do? What do I do?" Mei wondered aloud. As thoughts of Yuzu continued to torment her, Mei grasped the ring that hung around her neck and cried herself to sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

**Thank you all so much for your support! I can't stress how much it means to me that you'd put your time into reading this. Thank you all!**

 **I will probably write out an epilogue soon, so stay tuned for that!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Citrus**

* * *

 **Chapter 5**

What used to be the safe havens of the house were now much like the rest of the building: places that were plagued with images of Mei. Last night, in her mother's bedroom, Yuzu constantly tossed and turned in her futon, only sleeping for minutes at a time before being constantly awakened by her nightmares. After the sun started rising in the morning, ending any chances of going back to sleep, Yuzu decided to take a nice, warm bath in hopes of calming her mind. However, in her mother's bathroom, Yuzu was only able to step into the bathtub before she was overwhelmed by her memories, collapsing and loudly banging against the tub walls. Yuzu had her hand to her chest and tried to control her breathing as she attempted to drown out the voices in her head.

"Yuzu, are you okay?" Use called through the door.

"I'm fine! Leave me alone!" Ume weakly yelled, now huddling her legs to her chest in the water.

"Are you sure? I heard a lot of banging just now," Ume said through the door.

"Just leave me alone!" Yuzu cried out, causing Ume to sigh in defeat and head into the living room.

Yuzu was unable to sit still in the bathtub. If she opened her eyes, she'd envision Udagawa's lips on Mei's. If her eyes were closed, the vision would remain in her mind. Shaking uncontrollably, Yuzu pounded the water in the tub, causing the water to splash in her face, the walls, and the floor next to her. But Yuzu still wasn't satisfied. She continuously pounded on the water with all her might, growling as she also began to kick against the tub with her feet.

"Why won't you get out of my head?!" Yuzu breathed out shakily as she now pulled on her hair in agitation. "I don't want to look at you anymore!"

Yuzu got out of the bathtub and put on her clothes without bothering to dry herself or drain the water. Because she was completely drenched, Yuzu left a trail of water as she exited her mother's bathroom and bedroom. She walked through the living room with heavy steps, and ignoring her mother's questions about what was with her mood, she entered her bedroom. Shutting the door behind her, the blonde decided to call her friends for help, but when she saw her wallpaper, which displayed a picture of herself holding up a peace sign while having her other arm wrapped around Mei's shoulders, she immediately chucked her phone against the wall, shattering it.

"Yuzu! That's enough!" Yuzu heard Ume shout through the door. Ume walked into Yuzu's bedroom and placed her hands on her hips, staring at Yuzu in frustration. "What the heck is going on with you today? I've never seen you behave like this before."

"Forget it, mom. I'm going to school now," Yuzu ignored her mother's stern look as she grabbed her school bag that was sitting next to her bed.

"Yuzu, tell me this instant!" Ume commanded, grabbing Yuzu by the wrist to prevent her from leaving her room.

"Leave me alone! It's none of your business!" Yuzu cried out as she tried to escape her mother's firm grip.

"Yes it is! It's my responsibility to help you with whatever is on your mind!" Ume argued.

"Let me go! I'm going to be late to school!" Yuzu said in hopes that her mother will prioritize her academics instead of interrogating her.

"I won't let you go until you tell me what's going on," Ume said sternly, causing Yuzu to growl in irritation.

"Ugh, fine! I just failed an exam!" Yuzu blurted out, but all Ume did was raise an eyebrow. "Come on, I told you already! Now let me go!"

"Yuzu..." Ume towered over her daughter, wanting her to tell the truth.

"Fine! It's stupid Mei!" Yuzu said, catching Ume off guard. Noticing that she had a break, Yuzu broke out of her mother's grip and sprinted out the front door. As Yuzu ran away from her house with clenched fists, Ume sat down on Yuzu's bed, trying to wrap her head around why Mei could be causing Yuzu to behave this way.

* * *

School was extremely uneventful today. After sitting through hours and hours of classes, and after listening to Harumi and Matsuri's attempts at comforting her, Yuzu trudged her way back home. When she reached her door, she noticed a peculiar card in the mail slot. She picked it up to see a fancy white envelope with a knotted string wrapped around it, saying that it was for the Aihara residence. Yuzu brought the envelope inside and decided to wait for her mother to come home before they would open it together.

Yuzu placed the envelope on the dining table, then walked into her room. After setting down her school bag, she noticed her broken phone on her desk and all the shattered glass placed in the trash can. Yuzu couldn't help but feel sorry for her mother since the older woman had to put up with her and her rather aggressive behavior earlier today.

Checking to see if the phone still worked, Yuzu smiled in relief when her phone turned on. She decided to text her mother an apology, and after a few minutes, Ume replied saying that all is good and for Yuzu to tell her about Mei later. Yuzu then texted her mother about the envelope they received, and Ume told Yuzu to wait for her to come home to open it.

After texting her mother, Yuzu pressed the home button on her smartphone to return to the home screen, in which she saw the picture of herself and Mei. Yuzu smiled sadly, thinking to herself that Mei had moved on from their romantic relationship and that it was about time that she should, too. In order to prevent herself from getting a breakdown in the future, Yuzu decided to switch her wallpaper to a basic one, thinking that looking at Mei's picture would be too much for her to bear. Once Yuzu switched wallpapers, images from last night popped into her head. By removing the picture of herself and Mei, Yuzu could only see Udagawa and Mei together, lip-on-lip. Simultaneously, the image of herself and Mei popped into her head, except in the picture, Yuzu was slowly dissolving and transforming into Udagawa, who was now the one holding up a peace sign and had an arm around Mei.

"Damnit..." Yuzu whimpered as she attempted to get these thoughts out of her mind. However, it was of no use, and Yuzu let her tears fall down her skin.

When it was late in the night, Ume unlocked the front door of the house and walked inside, feeling quite exhausted from work. She noticed how Yuzu was napping at the dining table with her face in her arms, and Ume also noticed the envelope that Yuzu had described in their text messages. Ume made her way to Yuzu and gently shook her shoulder, causing the blonde to lift her head up and yawn.

"Hi, mom," Yuzu said.

"Hey, sweetie, how are you feeling?" Ume asked.

"I'm feeling much better now." Yuzu then sighed. "I know I already apologized for the way I acted earlier, but I just want to say I'm sorry."

"Oh, no need. I'm just glad you were able to snap out of whatever phase you were in." Ume gently ruffled Yuzu's hair, causing her to smile. "Though I do need to ask, why did you say that Mei was the cause of your grumpiness?"

Yuzu looked away from her mother. She decided to only give part of the truth as she didn't want to upset Ume about her two daughter's very close relationship.

"Well, it's just that she's been stuck in my head, and the more I think about her, the more I start losing myself," Yuzu replied as she nervously rubbed her arm.

"Ahh, I see. You must really miss her since the last time you've seen her was a couple weeks ago, right?" Ume asked.

"Uhh...yeah," Yuzu said quietly, then decided to change the topic and pointed to the envelope on the table. "So shall we open it up?"

"Sure! I wonder who could've sent it?" Ume pulled up a chair next to Yuzu and took the envelope. She opened it to reveal a fancy card, then opened up the card and started reading the contents to herself.

"So, what does it say?" Yuzu asked curiously after seeing Ume's eyes dilate.

Ume cordially showed the card to Yuzu and had a big grin.

"It's an invitation to Mei's wedding!" Ume exclaimed, causing Yuzu to freeze in place. Yuzu had goosebumps growing on her skin, and her heart rate quickened after processing her mother's words.

"M-Mei's we-wedding?" Yuzu asked nervously, feeling a lump form in her throat.

"That's right! Oh, what perfect timing! You were starting to miss her dearly, and now we get to see her wedding in-" Ume quickly checked the date, "-six weeks! This is going to be great, right, Yuzu?"

"Y-y-yeah," Yuzu replied unsurely, still not believing that Mei's wedding was quickly approaching.

"Oh, look at you! You're already nervous about it!" Ume smiled happily, not knowing that Yuzu was interpreting the situation completely differently. "Oh my! We have to make sure we are free that day! Oh, and we also need to buy new clothes for the ceremony!"

As Ume was talking excitedly about the wedding, Yuzu began to drown out her mother from her head. Just when she was struggling to come to terms with the fact that Mei left her, as well as the sickening sight of Udagawa and Mei kissing, now she was invited to watch them become officially married. The sudden turn of events made Yuzu feel frightened and confused, and she didn't know if she could bring herself to go to the wedding.

 _Why does this have to happen? Why does life always do this to me? I'm already struggling to accept that Mei is gone, and now this?_

Yuzu closed her eyes and tried to control her breathing. But the longer she sat at the table, staring at the invitation card, the more she felt emotionally unstable. Wanting to get away from the card, Yuzu excused herself from the table and headed to her mother's bedroom. She got into her futon and hoped that sleep would quickly take over her body so she wouldn't have to constantly think about Mei. Unfortunately for her, like always, she struggled to fall asleep, so she tried to calm herself and think about the possibilities of the wedding.

 _Well, if I go...maybe this will help ease the pain and make me accept that Mei and I can't and won't be together anymore. I need to accept that she doesn't love me anymore and that she has moved on. Maybe this...is what I need to let her go._

Yuzu kept repeating to herself that the wedding was essential for her to finally give up Mei, but deep down, she didn't know if that would be the case.

* * *

 **Six weeks later**

Mei stood in front of a large mirror, gazing at herself in a majestic, white dress, her hands in arm-length gloves, and her neatly made hair. She looked almost exactly like the day she tried out the dress for the photo shoot, the only difference being that her face looked completely exhausted and nervous. She had not been looking forward to this day, and now that the ceremony was about to start, her heart was beginning to pound like crazy.

" _When we do wear them for real, it'd be great if we had matching outfits."_

Memories of Yuzu in her own dress flashed before Mei's eyes, causing her to feel slightly disoriented. Back then, Yuzu was jovial about the photo shoot, thinking that it was simply for fun. Unbeknownst to Yuzu at the time, Mei betrayed her, and Mei felt horrible for it.

"I'm sorry, Yuzu," Mei said to herself as she started to snivel. "I'm sorry for hurting you like this. Please forgive me."

In a matter of minutes, Mei was told that the event was about to begin. She walked to a set of massive doors, where on the other side was a room filled with a great many people.

"You look great, Mei," her father, Sho, said at the door. Sho had come back from his travels specifically to be at the wedding, and he couldn't be more proud of his daughter. "Are you ready?"

Mei barely nodded her head in response, and they linked arms. The door opened, and the sound of an organ playing resonated throughout the room. Mei and Sho slowly walked together down the aisle, catching the attention of the audience. Mei didn't recognize most of the attendees and figured that they were mostly her grandfather's friends and business partners. As she continued to scan the crowd of faces looking at her, she noticed Yuzu's blonde hair next to her stepmother, although Yuzu kept facing forward and refused to look at her. Mei's heart sank, feeling distressed that Yuzu would have to sit through this cruelty and was wondering what she was thinking about the whole ordeal. Deciding to distract herself, Mei turned her attention to the front, where she saw Udagawa waiting patiently.

Yuzu glanced up and saw that Mei was almost at the front. The blonde couldn't help but stare in awe at how magnificent and beautiful Mei looked in her dress, and as she stared, she couldn't help but recall the day of the photo shoot.

 _So back then, the only reason we tried on dresses was for the wedding..._

Yuzu briefly looked down at her skirt, gripping tightly onto the soft material. When she looked up again, she saw Mei separate from Sho to join Udagawa. In agony, Yuzu clenched her fists so tightly that her knuckles were beginning to pale. She sniffled a few times as well and tried her hardest not to make a scene. Ume turned to look at Yuzu and thought that Yuzu was starting to cry because she was emotionally happy about Mei, that is until she saw Yuzu's seething teeth, her shaking fists, and her pale knuckles. Ume was about to ask what was going on with Yuzu, but the voice of the marriage officiant grabbed her attention.

Yuzu couldn't bear to listen to the sermons. She kept her eyes on her lap and dug her nails into her skin, not knowing how much more of this wedding she could take. Prior to the wedding, Matsuri and Harumi had advised against attending, but Yuzu was determined to put any history between herself and Mei behind her. Yuzu was so certain that the event would help her, but little did she know that losing Mei would be this unbearable.

 _That should be me...up there...with Mei._

Yuzu's body was becoming hot, and she started to feel nauseous. She couldn't ignore the sickening feeling in her stomach no matter what, and she was fidgeting around so much that the people sitting nearby were casting her strange glances.

 _I'm supposed to be happy...I'm supposed to support Mei's marriage...but I can't._

Yuzu shut her eyes tightly and covered her ears so she couldn't hear the officiant. But even then, the anguish remained, so Yuzu uncovered her ears and started digging her nails into her thigh. With each passing second, her mental fortitude was quickly diminishing, and it was only a matter of time before she would explode.

 _What is life...if I have to constantly put up with this pain?_

"Yuzu, what's wrong?" Ume whispered into her daughters ear, wondering what was going on.

 _What is life...if I'm going to be sad for the rest of my life?_

"Yuzu?" Ume placed her hand on Yuzu's shoulder.

 _What is life...if I can't be with you?_

Yuzu shot up from her seat and ran as fast as she could away from the crowd and away from Mei. Mei, Udagawa, and the rest of the people turned their attention to the sounds of running footsteps and watched as Yuzu ran further and further down the main aisle. Once Yuzu exited through the doors, slight murmuring arose from the confused attendees before they turned their attention back to Mei, Udagawa and the officiant. But as the marrying process went on, Mei continued to stare at the doorway Yuzu exited through. She couldn't peel her eyes off as she desperately didn't want to see Yuzu run away from her in despair.

 _Yuzu..._

"Are you okay?" the officiant asked, turning to Mei. Mei hesitatingly nodded in response, and the officiant started to recite statements about the importance of maintaining a happy, loving marriage.

 _Yuzu...please don't run away._

"Please repeat after me, Mr. Udagawa," the officiant said.

 _You have no idea how much you mean to me..._

"I, Udagawa,..."

"I, Udagawa,..."

 _I can't bear to look at you like this..._

"...take you, Mei,..."

"...take you, Mei,..."

 _I wish for your happiness..._

"...to be my lawfully wedded wife..."

"...to be my lawfully wedded wife..."

 _But how can you be happy if I'm stopping you?_

"...To have and to hold,..."

"...To have and to hold,..."

 _You've given me everything...but all I've ever done was break your heart..._

"...from this day forward,..."

"...from this day forward,..."

 _Yet...you still believe in me...you still care for me...you still love me..._

"...until death do us part."

"...until death do us part."

 _I don't deserve you...you are too good for me...how can you love your weak, cold hearted sister?_

"Mei?" the officiant turned to her.

 _But now I know...I know what I want to fight for...I know what my true purpose in life is..._

The entire crowd stared at Mei, wondering why she wasn't responding. The officiant and Udagawa looked puzzled and worried once they noticed Mei's eyes becoming wet.

 _I must protect the one I love. And if I can't inherit the academy as a result...then so be it..._

"Mei?" Udagawa asked with concern.

 _My future...my life...is meaningless if I can't be with you. You are my happiness...you are my will to live..._

"Are you feeling fine?" Udagawa waited for a response.

 _...Yuzu...you are my everything._

Mei finally looked into Udagawa's eyes. With more determination than ever, she shook her head.

"I'm sorry. I love someone else," Mei said before running down the aisle and through the doorway. Udagawa, Ume, and Sho were all perplexed, while Mei's grandfather appeared furious.

Mei exited the building and started sprinting in a random direction. After running a few steps outside, she realized that her shoes were not fit for running, so she took them off and chucked them aside. She lifted her dress to run more comfortably, and she dashed through the bustling streets and sidewalks, searching and searching for Yuzu. Normally, looking for Yuzu in a bustling crowd would be no problem, but Mei had trouble identifying her blonde hair in the mass of people.

"Yuzu, where are you?" Mei wondered aloud.

Mei ran across the streets, even when cars were driving by, and she pushed through walls of people on the sidewalks, receiving shouts of disapproval. Mei's eyes were constantly moving and roaming around in search of her stepsister, but just as she was about to run in a certain direction, she spotted Yuzu's blonde hair in the corner of her eyes.

"Yes! There you are!" Mei exclaimed with hope and started sprinting after her. But catching up to Yuzu proved difficult, as Yuzu constantly maneuvered in between people and cars, almost getting run over in the process. Mei tried to shout out Yuzu's name, but her stepsister was too far away to hear her.

After what seemed like forever, Yuzu stopped in her tracks on top of a tall bridge in the setting sun. Mei was panting heavily as she slowed down and came to a stop, her hands resting against her upper thighs as she tried to catch her breath. She glanced at the sight in front of her, with Yuzu's hair blowing in the gentle breeze, the glistening water from the lake below them, and the sunset as the backdrop. Mei was almost starting to enjoy the scenery, but the peaceful atmosphere was quickly shattered: Mei looked on as Yuzu gripped tightly onto the railings of the bridge with her hands, and the blonde slowly raised her leg onto the railing.

"Oh no," Mei breathed in horror. She hurried her steps and approached the blonde as Yuzu was now standing on top of the railing. Mei quickly closed the distance between them, grabbed Yuzu by the waist, and slammed her back onto the bridge.

"Ouch! What the-" Yuzu rubbed her bruised arm as she lay on the ground, then realized that someone was laying on top of her stomach, "Mei?"

"Yuzu, what were you thinking?" Mei asked as her eyes began to water. She pinned Yuzu's shoulders to the ground as her teardrops dripped onto the blonde's face. "Were you...were you about to-," she gulped, "-kill yourself?"

Yuzu looked away in shame. She expected Mei to slap her and to tell her how much of a disappointment she was, but instead she was enveloped in Mei's arms.

"Yuzu, please don't ever do that!" Mei cried into Yuzu's chest, catching the blonde off guard. "Please don't throw away your life! You have so much more to experience in life, so please don't waste it!"

"O-okay, then. I won't," Yuzu said unsurely.

"Promise me!" Mei still had her face buried deep in Yuzu's chest.

"Okay. I promise. It was very foolish of me to even consider kil-doing it, and I'm so, so sorry," Yuzu said, not expecting Mei to be this expressive and caring about her. Mei seemed to accept her answer as her breathing began to slow down. "What are you doing here, Mei? Don't you have to finish your wedding?"

Mei raised her head from Yuzu's chest and looked into her eyes with sincerity.

"I broke off the wedding," Mei said, causing Yuzu to look surprised.

"You...what?" Yuzu asked again, not believing her ears.

"I broke off the wedding because I wanted to see you." Mei gently grasped Yuzu's hand.

"But...why?" Yuzu asked as she and Mei sat up on the ground.

"Because you mean more to me than you realize, Yuzu." Mei gently brushed Yuzu's hair away from her eyes.

Yuzu took awhile to process her words before looking agitated. She slapped Mei's hand away and pushed her younger sister aside.

"How do I know you won't break my heart again?!" Yuzu said with a snarl, causing Mei to look hurt. "Don't you need to marry some other guy to inherit the school?"

Mei now had newfound determination growing within her. "You're my one and only. And I cried every day I couldn't see you."

Yuzu looked at Mei with skepticism.

"If you don't believe me, I still wear the ring you gave me!" Mei took the necklace out from within her cleavage and showed it to Yuzu. "I never took it off, and I never want to lose sight of it! It was the only thing during the few months I was away that reminded me of you, your smile, and your love!"

Yuzu looked speechless. Mei took Yuzu's hands in hers and leaned closer to her face.

"I always thought about you because I love you."

That was the first time Mei told Yuzu her love for her. And with those words, tears began to well up in Yuzu's eyes. Before she could say anything, Mei leaned in and kissed her, wrapping her arms around her body in the process. Yuzu's eyes dilated, and when she came to her senses, she closed her eyes and returned the kiss, wrapping her arms around the back of Mei's neck and feeling a great amount of pressure and stress instantly lift off her shoulders. For the first time in months, they both felt genuinely happy together, and they didn't want this moment to end.

After several seconds, Mei and Yuzu broke off the kiss and leaned against each other's foreheads. They smiled sweetly at each other, and both of them were glad about the turn of events today.

"Do you still love me?" Mei asked, although it was a pointless question. Yuzu gently caressed Mei's cheek before pulling her in and this time initiating a kiss.

"Does that answer your question?" Yuzu grinned.

"I kind of want to hear you say it," Mei said with a blush, causing Yuzu to giggle.

"I love you, Mei," Yuzu said sincerely, causing Mei's cheeks to redden even more.

"I love you, too, Yuzu." Mei caressed Yuzu's cheek. "And I vow to never leave your side again.

As the sun lowered beyond the horizon, casting a dark orange and purple tint in the sky, and as Yuzu and Mei connected lips again, they both knew that what ever obstacles came their way, whatever life had in store for them, they'd overcome them together as one.

* * *

 **Just wanted to say that I am uncultured, so I'm sorry if the whole wedding part was inaccurate in terms of Japanese tradition. Otherwise, thanks for reading!**


	6. Epilogue

**Sorry for the wait! I had a lot of trouble trying to think up of ideas and how to execute them into this conclusion. And I especially had trouble trying to figure out where and how I'd finish this story. So while this chapter might not be my best work, I hope you still enjoy it!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Citrus.**

* * *

 **Epilogue**

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Yuzu asked as she and Mei stood in front of her grandfather's mansion.

"Yes, I'm sure. I need to explain to him that I want to choose my own path in life," Mei replied, keeping her eyes glued on the front door. "Plus, he kept calling me to come to see him as soon as possible. He will no doubt berate me for what happened yesterday."

"I'll come with you just in case," Yuzu said, gently squeezing Mei's arm.

"Thank you." Mei briefly smiled before walking to the front door. Luckily for them, Mei still had access to the house, and she unlocked the front door. They walked inside and into the foyer. "Come on, he should be in his study right now."

Together, Mei and Yuzu walked up the luxurious staircase, hand-in-hand, then made their way through a hallway. They stopped at a massive door, and Mei took a deep breath. She knocked on the door, heard a gruff voice for them to enter, and opened the door. Mei and Yuzu observed the much older man at his desk, gripping his fists together and appearing very agitated. Mei and Yuzu walked up to their grandfather, and the man looked in Yuzu's direction.

"There is no need for you to be here," her grandfather said in a dark tone. "Please leave. This conversation is between me and Mei."

"I'm sorry, but I'm not leaving Mei's side," Yuzu said defiantly, causing the her grandfather to slam his fist against the table.

"Leave this instant!" her grandfather demanded, but seeing that Yuzu was intent on staying, he growled. "I was beginning to accept you into the family, but after you ran away like a fool from a very important family event yesterday, I'm beginning to rethink my opinion of you."

"Leave Yuzu alone," Mei said, standing in front of the blonde to stop the old man from treating her condescendingly.

"You..." her grandfather slowly stood up from his chair, "what the hell were you thinking, breaking off the wedding and ruining all the planning and money that went into it? All the invited people were furious because they came for nothing, and also because you two were incredibly disrespectful! What is wrong with you?"

"I'm sorry that it had to end that way," Mei said, but her grandfather waved her off so he could continue to speak.

"Do you realize that you screwed up not just our family name, but the business we had with the Udagawa's? We had everything sorted out, and then you went and risked the future of the academy!" the old man said with rage.

"I'm sorry-"

"Why in the world did you run away? Why did you ruin everything?" her grandfather growled.

"I couldn't follow through with the wedding because I had an epiphany," Mei calmly replied, causing her grandfather's blood pressure to rise. "Back then, I thought that my only goal and purpose in life was to inherit the academy. That was the only thing I focused on. And so I lived my life as a pawn with no freedom of choice, thinking that it was my duty to fulfill the responsibilities of being an Aihara. At the time, I was fine with that."

"What are you saying?" her grandfather spoke with malice.

"But now, I realize that such a life was devoid of meaning. I realized that I lacked so much more, something very important. What I lacked was someone to look out for, and someone who also genuinely cares about my well-being. Now, I know what my real purpose in life is: to protect and cherish the one I love."

Mei and Yuzu held hands, causing their grandfather to appear puzzled. Then, the pieces connected in his mind, and he angrily walked around his desk and barked at the two girls up close.

"You two are disgraces! You both don't deserve to be Aiharas, and you, Mei, don't deserve the academy!"

Mei looked indifferent, and instead walked along with Yuzu towards the door.

"If this is the consequence for my decision, and also for genuinely being in love with someone else, then I will accept it," Mei said without looking back, then left with Yuzu. Their grandfather sat back in his seat, slammed the table, then rubbed his temples as he cursed Mei and Yuzu.

Outside the mansion, Mei led Yuzu by the hand and walked in no particular direction. Mei was quiet and had a stern face, and Yuzu looked at her with worry, thinking that Mei felt disheartened by their confrontation with their grandfather.

"Mei, are you alright?" Yuri asked as Mei stopped in her tracks.

"I'm fine, I just need something to take my mind off of the academy and grandfather," Mei replied.

"Well," Yuzu thought for a bit, "we can go home and watch a movie."

"You know I'm not really into movies, right?" Mei looked into Yuzu's eyes.

"I know, but it'll help distract you for awhile," Yuzu briefly squeezed Mei's hand. "And who knows? Maybe you'll enjoy it."

Mei stroked her chin for a moment and considered Yuzu's idea.

"Alright, let's head home, then." she decided.

After some time, the couple arrived at home. Their parents were not there, and Mei and Yuzu settled down on the sofa. Yuzu prepared the movie, deliberately choosing a romance genre, grabbed a blanket, then sat next to Mei. She wrapped the blanket over both herself and Mei, and Yuzu hugged Mei's arm underneath the blanket. Mei blushed, feeling her arms being pressed against Yuzu's chest, and she watched the TV screen as the movie started. After some time, they both nestled their heads against one another, enjoying the warmth and comfort that their bodies exuded.

After half an hour passed, Mei couldn't focus on the TV screen and found herself staring off into space. Yuzu noticed that Mei appeared troubled, so she sat up straight and faced the raven-haired girl.

"Mei, is something wrong? Is the movie boring you?" Yuzu asked.

"It's not so much the movie, but something is bothering me," Mei admitted.

"What is it?" Yuzu inquired.

"Since grandfather knows about our relationship, should we tell our parents as well?" Mei asked. "We can't keep our relationship a secret forever, and our parents are still expecting us to tell them what happened yesterday."

Yuzu looked down at the blanket in deep thought.

"Well, bringing up such a subject will no doubt make them mad. And I wouldn't be surprised if they would try and separate us if we told them," Yuzu quietly said, causing Mei to look downcast, "but if that ever happens, I will still fight for you. I don't want to lose you again."

"So...do you think we should tell them?" Mei asked, looking into Yuzu's eyes.

"Yeah. I think we should. And although a relationship like ours is taboo, I don't want to live this sort of life in secret anymore. I want to show the world that I love you and that you are mine."

"But what if people backtalk us? What if we end up staining our family's reputation?" Mei questioned.

Yuzu took a few seconds to contemplate the situation at hand.

"It is true that we'd end up ruining our family, and we'll no doubt be shunned by everyone." Yuzu sighed heavily, "but...is it okay for us to be selfish? Is it okay if we follow through with this?"

"The honest and obvious answer is no," Mei replied, "but I can't deny that I also want to fulfill these desires. And...I also want to show the world how much I love you."

Yuzu gently caressed Mei's cheek.

"So we'll tell mom and dad later, right?" Yuzu inched her face closer to Mei.

"Yes. Together." Mei leaned in, and they both connected lips.

* * *

The family of four sat in silence at the dining table, with each person slowly eating in deep thought. As they ate, Mei and Yuzu would occasionally glance at each other, wondering when they should confront their parents, while Ume and Sho were looking at their daughters in curiosity.

Last night, when Mei showed up at home with Yuzu, Ume and Sho were pestering the two girls about what exactly happened at the wedding. However, Mei and Yuzu simply said that they'd explain themselves when they were ready, much to Ume and Sho's disappointment. Now, at the dining table, the tension in the air was becoming overwhelming for everyone.

Yuzu gently nudged Mei's shoulder, signaling her that they should explain themselves to their parents. Mei appeared very nervous, so Yuzu placed her hand on Mei's arm as reassurance. Noticing the odd behavior, Sho decided to break the silence.

"What's going on with you two?" he asked as he set down his chopsticks and bowl. Ume also looked at her daughters, wondering the same thing.

Since Mei was too nervous to speak, Yuzu decided to talk first.

"Well, the truth is..." Yuzu gulped, "Mei and I have something very important to talk to you two about."

"What is it?" Ume asked as Yuzu struggled to speak.

"Umm, this might shock you two..." Yuzu's heart started racing out of nervousness, "we...we uhh..."

"The truth is that we love each other," Mei suddenly spoke up, catching everyone's attention.

"That's understandable, you're stepsisters," Sho said, not quite picking up what Mei was saying.

"No, we actually _love_ each other," Mei said with resolve, while Ume and Sho froze in place when the realization hit them. "We've been falling in love for quite some time, and when we were separated, it nearly drove me and Yuzu mad. That's why we behaved how we did yesterday. That's why I broke off the wedding and came back here."

Ume and Sho were speechless. They slowly processed what Mei had said, and they looked at each other, wondering what to do.

"Mom? Dad?" Yuzu spoke up, catching their attention. "I know how troubling this is for you, and I'm sure you guys hate our guts, but we're absolutely serious about this. We genuinely love each other, and we don't want to leave each other's side."

There was a long pause.

"How long has this been going for?" Ume asked shakily.

"Well over a year," Mei answered.

Mei and Yuzu nervously waited for a response, and Ume eventually got up from her seat and dragged Sho with her.

"Your father and I will discuss this situation privately. We will continue this conversation tomorrow," Ume said, then left for her bedroom with Sho.

Mei and Yuzu were left alone at the table, and since neither of them were in the mood to finish their dinner, they packed away all the unfinished meals in the refrigerator. They turned off the lights, then headed toward their bedroom. After taking turns in the shower, Mei silently got into bed. Yuzu turned off the lights, then slipped into bed as well. For awhile, they both stared off into space, and they both felt anxious about what their future would hold.

Mei and Yuzu heard raised voices coming from outside their room, and they figured that Ume and Sho were having a tough time deciding what to do with their two daughters. The tension made Yuzu feel uneasy, so she sat up in bed and poked Mei's shoulder, causing her to sit up in bed as well.

"Hey, ummm, Mei?" Yuzu tried to find her words. "Do you...regret telling our parents...about us?"

Mei raised an eyebrow, wondering why Yuzu would be asking such a question.

"Not at all. Why do you ask?" Mei asked. "Do you regret telling them?"

"No, it's just that...I'm very concerned that we'll end up hurting our parents for life, and I'm afraid we'll be seen as disgraces to the family name and such."

Mei inched closer to Yuzu and grasped her arms.

"I don't doubt that we'll be cursed by others, and I also feel awful about how our parents are impacted by all of this," Mei said. "I know it sounds horrible and maybe flawed from an outsider's perspective, but we shouldn't concern ourselves with what other people say. I love you, Yuzu, and I don't want to make the mistake of losing you again."

"I love you, too, and I want to remain by your side," Yuzu smiled sweetly. Mei returned the smile, and they both hugged each other.

Feeling the exhaustion overcome her body, Yuzu yawned, and she and Mei lay back in bed. Before Yuzu's eyelids completely shut, she felt Mei quickly peck her on the cheek with her lips and heard her say goodnight.

* * *

The next day, Mei and Yuzu woke up and found that their parents were not up yet. The girls figured that their parents were sleeping in after arguing all night, and they couldn't help but feel guilty. They ate breakfast, then, not wanting to wait in the house all day for their parents to come to a decision about them, Mei and Yuzu headed outside.

"So, do you want to go shopping?" Yuzu asked, trying to come up with something fun for the both of them.

"You're just going to end up wasting money, and you already have plenty of clothes." Mei pointed out.

"That's true, but maybe we can get some stuff for you." Yuzu beamed.

"Maybe another time. At the moment, I don't need to buy anything," Mei said, causing Yuzu to pout.

"Well, how about we go get some crepe?" Yuzu suggested.

"Sure, I wouldn't mind," Mei replied, causing Yuzu to grin.

Yuzu took Mei by the hand and led her to a small, comfy shop. After ordering their dessert, Mei and Yuzu sat across from each other at a small table. Observing how Mei was nibbling on the crepe, an idea popped into Yuzu's head.

 _Here's my chance to execute that dream of indirect kisses from long ago!_

Yuzu raised her crepe to Mei's mouth, causing the younger girl to look confused. After taking the hint, Mei bit down on Yuzu's, and the younger girl decided to hold out her crepe to Yuzu as well. The older girl smiled and took a massive chunk out of Mei's crepe, causing Mei to raise an eyebrow.

"That's not fair, I only took a nibble out of your dessert, while you took a large bite out of mine," Mei said, then swiftly grabbed Yuzu's crepe out of her hand and started to eat.

"H-hey! That's mine!" Yuzu exclaimed.

"Not anymore." Mei smirked, then continued to eat, causing Yuzu's face to flush red.

As Yuzu whined and pouted, two other girls entered the small shop, catching their attention.

"Harumi? Matsuri?" Yuzu looked up at the two girls, who both looked surprised and angry after seeing them.

"What the heck is she doing here?" Matsuri said furiously while pointing an accusing finger at Mei. "Why are you here with her after everything she's done to you?"

"Wait, calm down! Everything is fine!" Yuzu said, standing up to talk to Matsuri.

"How? Why do you always fall for her traps? She's clearly using you!" Matsuri shouted, causing nearby customers to look their way.

"I swear to you that I am not using Yuzu," Mei said, standing up to face the aggressive pink-haired girl.

"That's a load of bull crap!" Matsuri exclaimed. Harumi had to pull the pink-haired girl back before she could lunge at Mei.

"Hey, chill out! We should hear her out, first." Harumi tried to cool down her friend, but it was of no use.

"No! I won't let the traitor brainwash and hurt Yuzu-Chan again!"

"Matsuri!" Yuzu bellowed, causing everyone in the shop to go silent. "She is not hurting me, nor is she brainwashing me. She legitimately cares about me."

"But...didn't she get married to someone else?" Matsuri asked while glaring at Mei.

"No, I couldn't follow through with it," Mei spoke up. "I realized that I have done many regretful things throughout my life, and I really wanted to make it up to Yuzu. I also came to realize that life would be meaningless and very painful without her, so that's why I broke off the wedding."

Matsuri didn't know what to say, so Yuzu decided to continue.

"Matsuri, you really don't have to worry about me. Mei and I genuinely love each other, and while I admittedly can't forgive her for some of the things she had done to me, I'm willing to start a new chapter in life with her."

Matsuri started to grumble to herself, and Harumi released her grip on her.

"Thank you for realizing your faults and for preventing Yuzucchi from going into a permanent depressed state," Harumi said, facing Mei. "Admittedly, I can't completely forgive you for all the pain you put Yuzu through, but I trust that you will seriously try and put your heart and dedication into Yuzucchi."

"Thank you, and I promise that I will do all that I can to make Yuzu happy." Mei bowed to Harumi. The three girls now faced Matsuri to see what her response was.

Matsuri continued to grumble to herself, then noticed that everyone was staring at her, causing her to feel uncomfortable. Realizing that they wanted to hear her take on Mei and Yuzu's getting together, Matsuri sighed to herself and looked at Mei.

"You better not make Yuzu-chan unhappy ever again, or else I will come after you and make your life a living hell, got it?" Matsuri said as she poked Mei's sternum.

"I understand, and I promise you won't ever have to come after me," Mei replied, and Matsuri looked away in annoyance.

"I want to get out of here now. Come on, let's go." Matsuri gestured to Harumi for them to leave, and after quickly glancing back at Mei and Yuzu, they left.

Coincidentally, Yuzu felt her phone vibrate, so she took out her phone to see a text message from her mother, telling her and Mei to return home immediately.

"What's wrong?" Mei asked, noticing Yuzu's worried look.

"Mom just texted me and said for us to go home right now," Yuzu answered. "Mom and dad are probably done discussing what to do about us."

"Then we shouldn't make them wait. Let's go." Mei handed Yuzu back her crepe, and they both ate on their way home.

The couple was silent during the trip, as both girls were mentally preparing themselves for whatever Ume and Sho had in mind. In no time, they arrived at their front door, and Mei and Yuzu glanced at each other with reassuring looks. They opened the door, then walked to the dining table, where their parents were waiting. Mei and Yuzu sat in their seats and waited for either Ume or Sho to start.

"Your father and I have been discussing for quite a while," Ume began, "and while we both had trouble coming to terms with your...relationship...we both cherish your personal health and well-being."

"We've decided that we don't want to see any of you feel depressed and helpless anymore, so we support your relationship," Sho said. "And...after much consideration, we've decided that in order to protect you two...your mother and I will divorce."

Mei and Yuzu gaped, not expecting this to be the outcome.

"You see, over the course of the past two, three months, I couldn't stand to watch how stressed, frustrated and depressed you were, Yuzu. It tore me apart, knowing that I couldn't help you." Ume said, then turned towards Mei. "And after seeing how uncomfortable and teary-eyed you were two days ago, I knew that I couldn't separate you two. You both are meant for each other, and if this is what it takes to make you both happy, then I am fine with a divorce."

"Mom...dad..." Yuzu whimpered.

"We want you to feel happy, so unless we separate, you two will be cast aside as disrespectful and dishonorable children in society," Sho explained.

"I'm...I'm sorry we ended up ruining your marriage and your lives," Yuzu started bawling. "I'm sorry that we aren't the children you wanted us to be."

"Please yell at us. Please punish us. We are disgraces to the family." Mei got out of her seat and kowtowed to Ume and Sho.

"No, no, no. Please, stand up!" Ume said as she got up from her seat and crouched down at Mei's side. Ume grasped Mei's shoulders, causing the raven-haired girl to look up. "It's completely fine, and Sho and I want you and Yuzu to live your lives comfortably and happily."

Mei slowly nodded, then enveloped Ume in a hug, letting her tears flow down her face and onto Ume's shoulder. As Mei and Ume embraced, Sho and Yuzu looked at each other.

"You don't have to worry about apologizing," Sho said to Yuzu with a smile. "We want the best for you and Mei, so two better stick by each other and watch each other's backs!"

Yuzu got up from the table and walked to Sho, who also stood up. Yuzu hugged the tall man, who wrapped his arms around her back in return.

"Thank you. Thank you so much," was all that Yuzu could say. Sho just smiled as he and Yuzu remained in the warm, comforting embrace. After minutes passed, the four separated from their hugs.

"So, now that I really think about it, did you confront your grandfather yet? He seemed incredibly infuriated the last time I saw him." Sho placed an arm on his daughter's shoulder.

"I confronted him with Yuzu," Mei brushed her hair behind her ear. "He was not enthusiastic about our relationship, to say the least. And he decided that I will no longer inherit the school."

"Oh...then what are your plans for the future? What job are you interested in?"

"As of now, I'm not too sure what I want to do," Mei replied truthfully. "I'll figure something out, though."

"That's good to hear. I know you and Yuzu will have a bright future." Sho checked the time and saw that it was noon. "Say, how about we all go eat at a restaurant? I'm starving!"

"Yes, I'd like that! What do you say, Mei and Yuzu?" Ume said energetically.

Mei and Yuzu glanced at each other and smiled.

"Yeah, we'd like that," Yuzu and Mei replied simultaneously.

Together, the four got ready for lunch, then headed outside. Ume and Sho walked together in front, while Mei and Yuzu held hands behind them. As they walked, Mei and Yuzu couldn't help but smile at each other, and they'd occasionally raise their hands together to look at their matching rings on their fingers.

Noticing that they were lagging behind, Mei and Yuzu turned their attention back to Ume and Sho in front of them, who were both grinning at them. The two girls caught up with them, and they all walked on. Mei and Yuzu looked at each other again, knowing that they'd have many years and decades of fun, happiness, and love to experience together.

* * *

 **Thank you all so, so much for your support! As I've said before, it's exhilarating and heartwarming knowing that you have read this and even favorited, followed, and/or reviewed/pm'd! It was an incredible journey going through this story with you, and I must say that I'm legitametly sad that this story has finished. I look forward to writing the next project, whenever that may be!**


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